Overview
- Two men, aged 38 and 43, and a woman entered galleries near Fécamp’s Saint-Étienne church overnight through a hatch closed to the public and did not return.
- Firefighters were alerted around 14:00 by an acquaintance of the trio, triggering an immediate search operation.
- The prefect activated the ORSEC “secours en milieu souterrain” plan and the Departmental Operational Center to coordinate resources.
- Rescuers established a safety lifeline in the labyrinthine network as reconnaissance continued in extensive, complex galleries.
- The deployment includes 46 firefighters from Seine-Maritime and Calvados, GRIMP specialists, and 10 Spéléo Secours Français volunteers, with an SDIS 76 command post and a public request to avoid the area.