Man dies in debris flow at Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, second fatal canyon incident in ten days

Second fatal debris flow in ten days

A 30-year-old man drowned on Friday 14 August after a group of seven canyoneers was caught in a debris flow in the Vogealle canyon at Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, Haute-Savoie. The phenomenon, known in French as a "coulée de lave torrentielle," is a muddy, extremely dense flow of debris, water, sediment and rock blocks that rushes rapidly down mountain slopes. It was triggered by a highly localized thunderstorm. A 27-year-old woman was slightly injured and five others escaped unharmed. The group was canyoning without supervision. The nationalities of those involved have not been disclosed.

The accident occurred around 15:15 or 15:30, depending on the source. The seven people fell into the water when the debris flow struck their craft, according to the prefecture. One person was found in cardiorespiratory arrest by a hiker and died. The injured woman was treated on site by rescuers. The site had been under a preventive closure since 13:00 that afternoon, activated through the town hall's communal safeguard plan. Despite the closure, the group entered the canyon. The gendarmerie brigade of Taninges has opened an investigation.

Mayor warns against ignoring closures

Cédric Mionnet-Perdu, mayor of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, told local weekly Le Messager that visitors had crossed into the closed area despite the precautionary measure.

That is the whole difficulty of the mountain, with people crossing prohibitions while a precautionary closure is in effect. People need to understand that these bans are put in place for their safety, not to annoy them.

Previous victim ten days earlier

On 4 August, a female tourist from the Oise département was swept away by a similar debris flow at the same location, in front of her husband. Sources give her age as 56 or 57. Her body was recovered the following day. Her husband described the moment to BFMTV: everything happened in a fraction of a second, he barely had time to turn his head, take a step back and tell her to move back before she was projected by a wall of debris and concrete. He searched through the rubble afterward but could not find her, and with no phone signal at the site, a passerby had to call emergency services from lower down.

Canyon known for rapid water rises

The Vogealle canyon is known among practitioners for sudden water level increases. Once inside, the only escape route is at the bottom of the first abseil; beyond that, no exit is possible. In spring, snowmelt can significantly increase afternoon flow rates. The mayor had explained earlier in August that a debris flow occurs when a watercourse becomes loaded with stones and is "very powerful and destructive."

Large rescue deployment and ongoing vigilance

Emergency services deployed three ambulances, all-terrain vehicles, cynotechnical teams, surface and subaquatic rescue teams, a drone, and a helicopter. Teams remained mobilized into the evening of 14 August. Haute-Savoie stayed under yellow thunderstorm vigilance on Saturday, with firefighters urging extreme caution during outdoor activities and advising people to check weather conditions before heading out.