Overview
- Emergency services were alerted at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday by witnesses at Valentin beach in Batz-sur-Mer, and the girl was no longer visible when rescuers arrived.
- A large multi-agency operation was deployed, including 23 firefighters with 12 vehicles, the Dragon 56 civil security helicopter, an SNSM semi-rigid from Le Croisic, a customs vessel and gendarmerie units.
- Aquatic, terrestrial and aerial searches proved unsuccessful and the operation was lifted at 7:50 p.m., with maritime authorities later confirming a suspension after roughly 2½ hours for lack of new leads.
- The Loire-Atlantique fire service (SDIS 44) restarted searches Thursday morning, and by 11:00 a.m. no trace of the teenager had been found.
- The Atlantic maritime prefecture said the swimmer’s two companions on the beach lost visual contact when she was about 20 meters from the shoreline.