Teenager survives French Alps ordeal

• 24 October 2015
• From the section Europe

A 15-year-old school boy whose father fell to his death from a rock face in the French Alps has been rescued after surviving 10 hours overnight.

The pair were descending the treacherous Les Droites mountain near Mont Blanc on Wednesday when the accident happened.

The boy called emergency services on his mobile phone but helicopter rescue efforts were delayed by fog.

He was found unhurt on Thursday morning suffering from mild hypothermia.

They were at a height of 3,700m (12,140ft) when the 61-year-old father fell around 40m (130ft) to his death on Wednesday evening, Le Dauphine.com reported.

It was not until the next morning that helicopters were able to rescue the child. The father’s body was retrieved shortly afterwards.

“The teenager was there for around 10 hours – hanging from the cliff face. We commend the way he acted, and his courage demonstrated throughout the night,” police commander Stephane Bozon was quoted as saying.

Le Dauphine reported that the pair were Americans living in London.

Every year thousands of mountaineers attempt the various peaks of the Mont Blanc range, which includes Europe’s highest and best-known summit of the same name.

An average of 59 people are killed each year in accidents on its slopes, according to the Chamoniarde, an association that provides safety information for the area.