Mountain guides Benjamin Guigonnet and Quentin Lombard tragically died in a car accident that occurred during the night from Thursday to Friday.
Two mountain guides die in road accident in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
The tragedy occurred shortly before midnight on the D23, near La Palud-sur-Verdon. Their vehicle left the road in conditions made difficult by darkness and the steep terrain.
A major rescue operation was deployed, involving firefighters, mountain and aquatic specialist teams, and a helicopter from the Alpes-Maritimes civil security service. The search, complicated by the terrain and the night, led to the vehicle being found, but the doctor on site could only confirm the deaths of the two occupants.
According to La Provence , they are Benjamin Guigonnet, 35, a guide since 2011, and Quentin Lombard, 37, a mountain guide since 2017. Both were highly regarded in the mountaineering community.
An investigation is underway to establish the precise circumstances of the accident.
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