Father and 9-year-old daughter killed in canoeing accident in Sarthe

For a reason that is still unexplained, the canoe passed an impassable barrier at Avezé, in Sarthe.

Published


Reading time: 1 min

The father and his daughter had started their canoe trip from Val au Perche, in Orne, and were heading towards La Ferté-Bernard, in Sarthe. (JEAN-CHRISTOPHE RAMPAL / RADIO FRANCE)

A 51-year-old father and his 9-year-old daughter died on Tuesday afternoon, August 27, in a canoeing accident on the Huisne near a dam in Avezé, in Sarthe, reports France Bleu Maine.

The father and daughter had started their canoe trip from Val au Perche, in Orne, and were heading towards La Ferté-Bernard, in Sarthe. According to information from France Bleu Maine obtained from the mayor of Avezé, Pierre Boulard, the canoe crossed the dam for a reason that is still unexplained.

“For reasons unknown, the canoe tried to pass the dam”explains the mayor. “There is a sign in the middle of the river, because the dam is impassable. So we have to pull the canoe out of the Huisne and put it back in the water afterwards. Unfortunately, they got caught in the eddies and didn’t make it out.”says the mayor of the town.

“Finding yourself with these people who die is really dramatic, it’s very complicated there,” adds Pierre Boulard. An investigation has been opened to clarify the circumstances of this tragedy.


source site-31