Man, 40, is charged with manslaughter over death of British girl, five, killed in collision while learning to ski in the French Alps

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A man has been charged with manslaughter over the death of a five-year-old British girl who was killed in a collision while learning to ski in the French alps. 

The 40-year-old suspect, who has not been identified, has been in custody since Saturday in Bonnevile, eastern France.

Witnesses recalled watching him skiing ‘at high speed’ over ‘a slight bump’ and then colliding with the little child, who has been named locally only as Ophélie.

She was taking a lesson on a Blue beginners’ slope in the resort of Flaine, in France’s eastern Haute-Savoie department.

‘The skier involved in the death has been indicted for manslaughter,’ said an investigating source.

The five-year-old girl died after a skier careered into her at high speed in the ski resort of Flaine in the French Alps. Pictured: GV of the Flaine resort

The horrific accident took place in the ski resort of Flaine, in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps

‘He has been placed under judicial control and is specifically accused of a deliberate violation of safety obligations’, the source added.

The crime is punishable with up to five years in prison, and a fine equivalent to £62,000.

This information was confirmed by Karline Bouisset, the public prosecutor in Bonneville, who also said that the man, a volunteer firefighter, had been ‘skiing at high speed’.

She added that a dozen people, including direct witnesses to the tragedy, have been interviewed ‘at length’ since Saturday.

The skier tried to administer first aid to the child, who had been skiing with four other girls and boys, but she never regained consciousness and died on her way to hospital in a helicopter at around 1pm.

Ophélie lived with her British parents in Geneva, who also own a holiday home in Les Carroz - another Alpine ski resort.

The children were on the Serpentine Blue run, and in a group lesson run by France’s ESF national ski school.

Ms Bouisset said: ‘The child was in a single file behind the group and was about to make a right turn when she was very violently hit by the skier arriving at high speed who tried in vain to avoid her.'

Jean-Paul Constant, the Mayor of nearb Arâches, said: ‘We are actively looking for a psychologist who speaks English for the family, who have returned to Geneva.

‘They are suffering from extreme shock, as are many others involved in this tragedy.’

The criminal suspect comes from Saint-Jeoire, and he is offering his full cooperation to the authorities.

Some resorts in France and Switzerland have introduced speed cameras and hand-held radar devices

The ski resort of Flaine, in the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps, lies 50 miles from the Swiss city of Geneva. Pictured: GV of the ski resort

A post-mortem was due to take place on Monday to determine the cause of death, but the results had not been released by the evening.

Some resorts in France and Switzerland have introduced speed cameras and hand-held radar devices in a move aimed at reducing accidents on pistes. The limit on many has been set at 30kph, a little under 19 mph, but far lower speeds are expected on easier slopes.

One skier described how he cradled a dying British woman in his arms on the same slope where the girl was killed.

The tragedy brought back terrible memories for those who witnessed another fatal accident in 2016. 

Father-of-four Vincent Fouché, 43, from Yvelines, near Paris, said: 'The accident with this poor little girl has brought back horrendous memories of the day a British lady died on the same slope.

'I can still remember her face. And my children remember everything from that terrible day, of me trying to save her. She was dying in my arms.

'Skiers and snowboarders need to control their speed. Has no one learnt anything from this fatal accident in 2016? Obviously not.

'It makes me so angry the speed some people go. Speed kills. The need to be in control at all times is the ground rule for safety on the slopes.'

Mr Fouché, who works in the food industry, continued: 'We were on holiday in Samoëns and I was skiing with a friend and two of my children, aged nine and seven at the time, in Flaine. It was March 2016. 

'It was so traumatic This poor English lady was skiing and an out-of-control young snowboarder collided with her. She was hit on her back.

'We tried to save her. In the end I had to leave the paramedics to tend to her on the slope because it was just too upsetting for my children. But there was nothing anyone could do. She died. Two deaths on the same slope within a few years. It’s not comprehensible.'

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