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# France
Kitesurfer dies in accident at French resort
The 24-year-old lost control of his equipment in bad weather and was hurled over a nine-storey building.
A YOUNG MAN has died in France after being swept over a nine-storey building and crashing to the ground in a kitesurfing accident, according to witnesses.
RTÉ reports that the 24-year-old was kitesurfing on Sunday at the central beach of St Jean-de-Luz on France’s south-western Atlantic coast.
The weather was reportedly wet and windy. A spokesperson for rescue services told reporters:
He was overwhelmed by the force of the wind while he was kitesurfing. He crashed into a nine-storey building and then went over it.
Afterwards he was carried even higher and then lost force in the sail and crashed down.
AFP reports that the young man was violently thrown against the sea wall before being hurled across the building.
Kitesurfing is becoming a popular sport in France, with 30,000 followers in the country. Recently the equipment has evolved to improve security, according to the President of the League of kitesurfing.
