Overview
- The 45-year-old diver entered the sinkhole at Salses-le-Château around midday Sunday, and relatives reported him missing about 4 p.m. when he did not return.
- Specialist teams from SDIS firefighters, the gendarmerie’s naval unit, and Secours Spéléo France were deployed, with eight SSF divers conducting a one-hour dive to clear the suspected refuge about 500 meters inside.
- Search efforts were hindered by strong currents and near-zero visibility, with late-December storms and heavy rains believed to have altered galleries and damaged a guideline used for navigation.
- Rescuers judged survival to be unlikely given the elapsed time and the diver’s air-supply limits.
- After the operational search was closed Tuesday, the prefecture said the case proceeds under a judicial inquiry, and authorities note current visibility does not allow safe continuation of dives.