A 27-year-old man disappeared at sea this Thursday, according to the Atlantic maritime prefecture cited by France 3. The man is said to have left a beach on the island of Oléron in a kayak in order to reach dry land near the town of Ronce-les-Bains, in Charente-Maritime.
This Thursday late afternoon, the gendarmes discovered a boat bag containing personal belongings and a trolley on a beach on the island of Oléron. The information was immediately transmitted to the local Atlantic Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (CROSS-A).
#CECLANT | On 28.03 at 6:10 p.m., the #CROSSAEtel initiated a search and rescue operation for a missing kayaker between Ronce-les-Bains (17) and the island of Oléron. On March 29 at 12:22 p.m., due to lack of new information, the search was stopped.
➡️https://t.co/cpB2FQArpM pic.twitter.com/QD1hqwdJ9A
— Maritime Prefecture and Chief Command ATLANT (@premar_ceclant) March 29, 2024
A major search and rescue system was therefore deployed immediately. The Dauphin helicopter of the French Navy, based in La Rochelle, notably supported a ground fire patrol.
With no trace of the individual, the search was suspended on Thursday at 9:30 p.m., but resumed this Friday morning. A land patrol of the gendarmes in the coastal sector was initiated. A Light Rescue Building (BLS) from Sdis 17 combed the area at sea and on the coastline, in support of the Dauphin helicopter, but without success. At 12:22 p.m., without any new information, the search was stopped.