Thursday, May 19, 2022, three members of the same family, a couple and one of their children, aged 12, were brutally swept away by the swell in Plogoff, a small town at the end of Cap Sizun, in Finistere. They were fishing on the dike when a violent wave hit them head-on, around 6:40 p.m., before carrying them out to sea.

Witnesses quickly call for help, and large resources are deployed to rescue the victims. In vain. Helicopters, sea rescue and firefighters will not be able to save them. Around 7:30 p.m., the two adults were fished out, in cardio-respiratory arrest. They could not be revived. The child was rescued shortly after 10 p.m., dead.

The father was 55 years old, the mother 33 years old. Their 12-year-old boy. The couple had three other children, who were, moreover, present on the shore at the time of the tragedy.

They are between 13 and 15 years old.

Deeply shocked by the scene, they were taken care of by the medical and psychological services.

The family lived in Audierne, a town in the region.

That day, however, the weather conditions were not unfavorable. The sea was choppy, but nothing more. Nothing to worry about, therefore, especially since the dike where the tragedy occurred “is a corner that is open and accessible. It was even on a hiking trail for a part”, explained David Foltz, the chief of staff of the prefect of Finistère, to France Bleu.

However, the case should not have any legal consequences, according to the public prosecutor of Quimper, Carine Halley.