A British woman aged 19 drowned at a French ski resort in the early hours today after scaling a fence and jumping into an outdoor swimming pool.
She was with a group of friends who had been out drinking at the popular resort of Alpe d’Huez.
The woman, who has not been named, was working as an apprentice chef in a restaurant at the resort for the winter.
Police said the friends climbed a 6ft fence in the centre of Alpe d’Huez to gain access to the heated outdoor pool, which was partially covered with a tarpaulin. The woman stripped off and dived at about 4.45am. When she failed to resurface, one of her friends frantically pulled away the pool cover and found her body.
A police spokesman said: “A friend saw her enter the water. But she did not return to the surface of the pool. She was found under the protective pool covering. We believe it was an accident at this stage. An investigation is under way therefore we cannot give further details.”
A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out tomorrow at La Tronche, near Grenoble. Fabrice Hurth, director of the tourist office, said: “It probably was just a silly, bad joke that young people do. But it ended so tragically.
“There was a covering over about 60 per cent of the pool to keep the heat in. Possibly she dived in and then went under the cover and could not get back up. She probably panicked and could not find her way out.
“The pool has been closed today and it will remain closed until the police say it can be reopened. The most important thing at the moment is the police investigation.”
As well as being a popular resort for British holidaymakers, Alpe d’Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France cycle race.
