A violent collision between two pleasure boats has triggered a major rescue operation in the bay of Cannes, southern France. The accident occurred late in the evening of Sunday 16 August in the Gulf of La Napoule, the western part of the bay of Cannes between Mandelieu-la-Napoule and Théoule-sur-Mer, one of the areas of the French Riviera most frequented during the summer season by boats and pleasure craft.
The collision occurred between two rigid inflatable boats, the so-called semi-rigid ones, on which, according to information gathered by the local press, there were a total of 21 people. The budget is still provisional: Nice Morning reports 11 injured people, four of whom are in serious condition, classified by French rescuers as people in “absolute urgency”.
The dimensions of the intervention measure the severity of the accident. 64 firefighters and 36 vehicles were mobilised, with a device that simultaneously involved teams on land and units engaged at sea. The operations continued for most of the night and the first phase of the intervention only ended around 3.45am on Monday 17 August.
The Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture had initially spoken of ten injured people rescued and an eleventh person missing. The toll was then updated by local sources, who indicate eleven injured and one person who may still be missing.
Searches for the missing
During the night, a large area of sea was scoured in an attempt to identify the person who may have ended up in the water after the collision. The searches were suspended during the night and must resume on Monday 17 August, in daylight.