Published: 5. mai 2026, 10:13
France: Two Army Divers Found Drowned
The two men, aged 24 and 30, died after an accident in the Maine River in Angers during an exercise.
Two soldiers, aged 24 and 30, lost their lives in a diving accident that occurred from Monday night to Tuesday in Angers, during a military diving exercise in the Maine River, according to the public prosecutor.
The two divers, one belonging to the 6th Engineer Regiment of Angers and the other to the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment of Laudun (Gard), were taking part in a military diving course.
The exercise started around 11 pm in the waters of the Maine River and, around 2 am, contact was lost with the two divers, as stated by the public prosecutor of Angers, Eric Bouillard.
According to initial information, the two divers may have been trapped in the cavity of a bridge pillar over the river.
The search efforts led to the recovery of the two soldiers who were in cardiopulmonary arrest when pulled from the water by firefighters. They could not be revived and their deaths were confirmed at the hospital around 4:30 am, Mr. Bouillard added.
On Tuesday morning, the Angers prosecutor handed over the investigation to the Rennes prosecutor’s office, which has military jurisdiction. The investigation has been assigned to the gendarmerie research brigade of Angers, stated the Rennes prosecutor’s office, which is not currently disclosing the accident’s circumstances.
The diving course started in Saint-Mandrier (Var) for the sea portion and continued in Angers for the freshwater segment, according to a source from the army.
(afp)
