No less than 4 runners are believed to have fallen on steep slopes throughout the early morning hours of Saturday, June 15, 2024, on the Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre (UTHG) race in France in dangerous climate circumstances. Studies point out that one succumbed to their accidents and at the least three extra have been evacuated to hospitals with extreme accidents.
In a assertion on its social media channels, the occasion stated, “It’s with nice disappointment that we announce that UTHG has simply realized of a tragic occasion with the unintended demise of a racer. The primary responders on the scene intervened instantly and supplied first help whereas awaiting his evacuation. All our ideas are with the sufferer’s household and family.”
The 2024 Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre’s official communication in regards to the tragedy at its occasion. Picture: 2024 Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre
A neighborhood public prosecutor, Karline Bouisset, has spoken to a neighborhood media supply, “BFMTV,” and shared just a few extra particulars. She stated that one man in his fifties handed away, probably as a result of cardiac arrest. She additionally stated that two males, one in his fifties and one in his thirties, have been critically injured with varied traumas, in addition to yet another runner who was much less critically injured.
The three-day UTHG takes the form of a large-scale European ultra-trail competition, internet hosting seven races out of the city of Samoëns, which is positioned about 30 miles southeast of Geneva, Switzerland, and 20 miles northwest of Chamonix, France. The occasion’s races vary from a youngsters’ race as much as a 128-kilometer occasion, the Extremely Tour des Lacs aux Cimes (UTLAC). The second-longest race is the 96-kilometer Extremely-Path du Haut-Giffre (UTHG). It seems that some 4,000 individuals have been registered throughout all of the occasions.
The 128k UTLAC and 96k UTHG have been scheduled to start on Friday, June 14, at 7 p.m. native time and 11:45 p.m, respectively. It seems from social media that the UTLAC began at once Friday night, whereas the UTHG was set to have a delayed departure of 6 a.m. native time on Saturday morning as a result of inclement climate earlier than it was finally canceled together with all the occasion’s different races.
In accordance with Bouisset by way of “BFMTV,” rescue calls started round 4:35 a.m. native time on Saturday morning, due to falls “in a mountainous space made slippery by the climate circumstances.”
Thus, this presumes that the accidents concerned members within the 128k UTLAC. Whereas there is no such thing as a official data on the areas and full nature of the accidents, race members are sharing on social media that the climate took a flip for the more serious someplace round 3 a.m. native time and the paths changed into flowing torrents of water and have become very slippery.
Whereas the precise sequence of occasions continues to be to be decided, some members additionally shared on social media that in this time they elected to cease in varied help stations because of the dangerous climate, whereas others obtained textual content messages from the group saying the race was being halted and members evacuated. Some members additionally shared that they noticed others take small to reasonable falls, along with those that have been severely injured.
Media outlet “Le Dauphine” experiences that the rescue course of took many of the day Saturday and concerned the race group’s sources, 73 native firefighters, and the Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) mountain rescue service from Chamonix.
It is a creating story, and we’ll replace this text as extra data turns into out there. In the event you have been a participant and want to share your story, please contact iRunFar. iRunFar’s ideas are with all these affected by this tragedy.
[Last updated, Saturday, June 15, 6 p.m. U.S. Mountain Standard Time]
A screenshot from the 2024 Extremely-Path du Haut Giffre livestream displaying the lead male (left) on the Pointe d’Angolon descent, about 18 kilometers into the 128-kilometer Extremely Tour des Lacs aux Cimes earlier than darkish on Friday, June 14, 2024. The picture is supposed to reveal the alpine panorama by means of which runners traveled.