Overview
- A very localized, violent storm on Tuesday evening produced a rapid mudflow that overflowed the Giffre and swept a 56‑year‑old woman from a footbridge while her husband watched, triggering an immediate large-scale rescue response.
- Searches mobilized more than 50 firefighters, about 20 gendarmes, civil‑security helicopters, swift‑water specialists, divers, drones and a search dog and ended the next day with the recovery and identification of the victim, the prosecutor in Bonneville said.
- Rescuers helicopter-evacuated 15 people including two infants and sheltered about 170 others in a restaurant before they were allowed to return to their lodging once roads were cleared.
- Municipal and prefectural orders have closed access to the Cirque du Fer‑à‑Cheval and banned navigation on the Giffre while teams assess bank stability, remove debris and secure the area.
- Officials warned that 'laves torrentielles' form suddenly when intense storms mix water with loose mountain sediment, cited an estimated large volume of material carried by the flow, and said continued vigilance is needed for visitors and river activities.