Nöbetçi Eczaneler
Search operations have ended for a cave diver who went missing at the Font-Estramar cave system in southern France.
The 45-year-old man, described by authorities as an experienced cave diver, disappeared on Sunday after entering the system, located near Salses-le-Château in the Pyrénées-Orientales region. Relatives raised the alarm at around 4 pm when he failed to re-emerge.
Cave-diving specialists from the local fire department carried out search operations on Sunday evening and into early Monday morning, but suspended their efforts citing Font-Estramar’s complex configuration, strong currents and hazardous conditions, which made further exploration too dangerous.
Font-Estramar, also known as Salses Spring, is a freshwater aquifer and the main resurgence – the point at which an underground river flows back to the surface – of the eastern Corbières region.
Such sites are often subject to strong currents and complex underwater topography, and Font-Estramar’s narrow passageways, deep vertical sections and poor visibility create an environment widely regarded as one of the most dangerous cave-diving sites in Europe.
At least nine divers are known to have died in the Font-Estramar system since 1955, seven of them since 2008. The most recent prior to this incident was in 2023, when a 63-year-old diver lost consciousness and died during his ascent.
The entrance to the cave is situated on private land and is inaccessible without the landowner’s permission, but not physically sealed. French authorities have not disclosed whether the missing diver had been authorised to dive there.
An investigation will be launched to examine the circumstances surrounding the dive.
rn France appeared first on DIVE Magazine.