A British kayaker has died after getting into difficulty in a French river.

The man in his 50s was on a group kayaking trip on the River Durance in Briancon in southeast France on Tuesday afternoon when witnesses spotted some of them in distress, local media reported.

“A rescue operation is under way in the town of Briancon to try to help kayakers in difficulty in the Durance,” Hautes-Alpes regional police posted on X.

At least three people were seen struggling in the water, Le Dauphine Libere reported.

Two of them were fighting against the river’s strong current to help the third, who had flipped over and was unconscious, according to the French daily regional newspaper.

Two of the kayakers were pulled out of the river uninjured, while the third – a British national – was recovered several kilometres downstream by firefighters and could not be resuscitated despite the best efforts of paramedics.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

He is understood to have been an experienced kayaker who got into difficulty after 10 minutes on the water.

“I can confirm the death of a man of English nationality,” public prosecutor Marion Lozac’hmeur told Le Dauphine Libere.

Sky News has contacted the UK’s foreign office for comment.

Read more from Sky News:
War Of The Worlds moment for NASA
World migration is higher than ever
Riots break out in Buenos Aires

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

The cause of the accident is being investigated. The high level of the water because of melting snow appears to have been a factor, La Provence reported.

It follows the death of an Irish kayaker on Monday in Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, the paper reported.

Related posts:

Hillsborough statements were altered to ‘mask police failings’, court told Current COVID vaccines unlikely to protect against new variants in future, SAGE warns Police officer told to ‘reflect’ after he was filmed kneeling on neck of black man Flooded roads and river torrents in Cumbria as some areas get up to 13 inches of rain Novak Djokovic triumphs at Wimbledon after heated final against Nick Kyrgios Starmer appoints partygate investigator Sue Gray as new chief of staff Woman, 35, accused of murdering man appears in court June to be hottest on record, Met Office says Avanti West Coast to cut services over Christmas due to staff shortages ‘Never a more popular footballer’: Bobby Charlton obituary Scottish Rugby admits it ‘let down’ family of player who died aged 26 ‘I wasn’t deemed sick enough’: The crisis in children’s mental health services