The natural pools in Petit Cul-de-Sac, St. Barths. (Photo www.SBHonline.com) e Journal de Saint-Barth
MARIGOT--Search and rescue teams in St. Barths decided on Saturday to call off the operation to retrieve the body of the girl who disappeared last Tuesday at the site of the natural pools in Petit Cul-de-Sac, due to apparently extremely complex and dangerous conditions to access the body, Le Journal de Saint-Barth reported on its Facebook page.
The 11-year-old girl was swept away by a wave and disappeared into a cavity while playing at the pools. Her body was located by an underwater drone at a depth of five metres, but after four days of intense searching rescuers have been unable to recover the body despite the use of all available human, material and technical resources.
The newspaper quoted Collectivité First Vice President Marie-Hélène Bernier as saying: “Local rescue workers and reinforcements from St. Martin and Guadeloupe have tried everything.”
The St. Barths Fire Department and sea rescue teams were joined by the Guadeloupe and St. Martin teams and divers from the Gendarmerie. A team of firemen specialised in mountaineering from Guadeloupe came as reinforcements. A Dragon helicopter from the Guadeloupe Civil Security and its crew were also deployed.
Local diving clubs and individuals on jet skis also volunteered in the search and rescue. French caving experts were also consulted for technical support.
Préfet Vincent Berton visited the site on Friday and was able to see the difficulty and complexity of the operation. He took the opportunity to assure the support of State services.
