Overview
- The cliff below Biarritz’s lighthouse suddenly broke away Wednesday evening, sending about 2,000 cubic metres of rock into the Bay of Biscay and creating a large water plume that witnesses described as deafening.
- Three divers were in the water near the collapse; one escaped uninjured but in shock, one woman was recovered dead after hours of searching, and a third diver remains missing.
- Rescue teams began searches immediately, halted operations overnight for safety reasons, and continued searching Thursday morning with the zone and nearby bathing beach cordoned off.
- Authorities say they will investigate the cause and will not commit divers or vessels into the area until geologists check the cliff’s stability to avoid further rockfalls.
- The stretch of coast has seen major collapses before and experts link growing cliff instability to rising sea levels and stronger coastal erosion driven by climate change, raising local safety concerns for residents and visitors.