A mountaineer who disappeared on March 10 in a series of avalanches near the Cirque de Gavarnie, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, was found dead on Sunday April 3.
It was the high mountain gendarmerie platoon (PGHM) that found the body of this 31-year-old ski instructor.
Originally from Saint-Geours-de-Maremne (Landes), he had been caught in an avalanche while climbing an icefall. Two other avalanches followed, disrupting the work of the rescuers who arrived on site.
“He was found in the axis of the avalanche but far enough from the rock face, he was really swept away,” PGHM commander Jean-Marc Bougy, who coordinated the search with the police, told AFP. mountain section of the CRS of Lannemezan (Hautes-Pyrénées).
Three other climbers survived
The search was complicated by unfavorable weather conditions, including heavy snowfall in the high mountains.
“The major risk was the avalanche, we had to work with the forecasters and limit the time of presence to the best hours of the day”, explained Jean-Marc Bougy.
During the tragedy, three other mountaineers, including a climbing companion of the victim, had been rescued, specifies the local media Actu Landes.