Illustration of a gendarmerie helicopter rescue, here during an exercise above Rennes. - C. Allain / APEI / 20 Minutes

They were a hundred, come to benefit from the deconfinement. Divided into small groups, sometimes with family or friends, to enjoy the freshness of the edges of the old Clos-Pointu quarry, in Saint-Malo-de-Phily, between Redon and Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine). On this sunny day, some had brought an aperitif, others bathed in cold, turquoise blue water when it is strictly prohibited. Thursday, the Redon gendarmes were called to evacuate the old quarry. Upon arrival, a missing person was reported to them. Significant resources have been dispatched for what looks like a false alarm.

“When we got there, there were a lot of people at the water's edge. Some bathed. We have started evacuating everyone, ”says Captain Clémentine Bord, assistant to the Redon company.

A missing person?

As people begin to leave the site, two young women are agitated on the other side of the water. From the top of the cliffs, they call for help. They saw someone dive but never went up. After initial research, the gendarmes decided to alert the firefighters. The latter dispatched their divers and a boat on which search dogs were embarked. The Samu 35 even dispatched its helicopter to fly over the area. "We had to remove the doubt," said the captain of the gendarmerie. After two hours of intense research, the operation is closed. "We can turn to a false alarm," said Captain Bord.

Fifteen youths charged

Before leaving, the gendarmes verbalized fifteen young people who refused to break camp. They were fined 135 euros each for failing to comply with the ban on assembly in the context of the health emergency.

In fine weather, the Saint-Malo-de-Phily site is regularly occupied by young people, which is not without its problems. Forbidden access, the old quarry is surrounded by a fence preventing access to the banks. But the protection has been laid in several places and some continue to enter it despite the ban. "The site is dangerous because the water is deep and the banks are absolutely not secure," said the gendarmerie. Swimming is prohibited.

Society

Deconfinement in Saint-Malo: Wearing a mandatory mask in the interior

Health

Coronavirus: Beaches reopen, but can you swim without the risk of getting Covid-19 in the water?

  • Deconfinement
  • Gathering
  • Bathing
  • Alert
  • Disappearance
  • Redon
  • Reindeer
  • France
  • Drowning