It was a heroic act – that of a father trying to save his daughter – which ultimately cost him his life. On Wednesday 1 May, a young girl slipped whilst on a family walk in the village of Lovagny, in the Gorges du Fier in Haute-Savoie, and fell into the river. Her father tried to save her by diving into thewatercourse.
But the man, who was in his forties, will not survive this attempt to rescue his child, reports Le Dauphine Libéré. For although the 11-year-old girl was eventually rescued by a bystander who had also rushed into the cold water, his father has passed away, AFP reports, citing information from the fire service.
The rescue team winched the girl and the witness to safety by helicopter; the father’s body had been recovered by divers at around 7 pm, in water at 5 or 6 degrees at this time of year. The little girl was quickly taken into the care of the emergency services, who found her suffering from hypothermia. She is out of danger.