Body of man in his thirties found in Paris's Canal Saint-Martin, second death in eight days

Discovery and investigation

The body of a man was discovered around 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, in the Canal Saint-Martin near 65–67 quai de Valmy in eastern Paris. Firefighters and the river brigade recovered the body, which was severely swollen, indicating it had been in the water for several days. The victim carried no identification. The Paris prosecutor's office stated the deceased is a man aged approximately 25 to 35 and has not yet been identified. The body was transported to the Paris forensic institute for examination. An investigation into the cause of death has been assigned to the 10th arrondissement police station.

The deceased, a man of about 25 to 35 years old, has not yet been identified. Investigations are continuing to identify the victim and determine the circumstances of his death.

Swimming in the canal and a previous death

The Canal Saint-Martin was opened for swimming in mid-June by Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire to help residents cope with a heatwave that ended a week ago. Since then, swimming has been permitted only on Sundays in a designated section of the canal. On June 26, a man drowned in the same canal, also on quai de Valmy, while swimming outside the authorized area. Additionally, around fifty young people have been injured jumping from footbridges, which is prohibited.

National drowning toll

On Thursday, July 2, Sports and Youth Minister Marina Ferrari told RMC that the national drowning death toll had surpassed 90 since June 19. She described the figure as worrying.

More than 90 since June 19, a worrying figure.

Paris launches Seine swimming season

On the same Saturday, the city of Paris launched its new supervised swimming season on the Seine, with three free, monitored sites: Bercy in the 12th arrondissement, Grenelle near the Eiffel Tower in the 15th, and Bras Marie in the heart of the capital.