Holder against Narbonne on Friday, Samoan third line Kelly Meafua threw himself from the top of a bridge.
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Kelly Meafua, Samoan third line from Montauban, a Pro D2 club, killed himself on the night of Friday to Saturday after jumping into the Tarn from a bridge, AFP learned from a source close to the club, confirming information from The Midi Dispatch.
With another teammate, they fell early this morning, at 6:40 a.m., in the river at Pont-Vieux, in the city center of Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne). A dozen firefighters divers went in search of them, using a whitewater boat in particular. According to several testimonies, he was leaving a nightclub before being seen throwing himself from 22 m in the air.
The prosecutor of Montauban, Bruno Sauvage, favors the track of a “dramatic accident”.
The rugby club @UsmSapiacRugby is in mourning
One of the players of the professional team was found dead this Saturday in the river at Pont-Vieux in #Montauban
➡️https://t.co/QtRmSrNpBE pic.twitter.com/LNiIUMfQlo
— France Bleu Occitanie (@bleuoccitanie) May 7, 2022
One of his teammates, French prop Christopher Vaotoa, jumped into the water to rescue him. Quickly rescued by firefighters, the latter was taken to hospital in a state of hypothermia before Meafua’s body was found in the early morning. Firefighters found Kelly Meafua’s body nearly three hours later.
The 31-year-old Samoan third row wore number 8 during US Montauban’s victory this Friday against Narbonne, and had participated a few hours earlier in his team’s victory (48-40) for his last match at home of the season.