A 75-yr-old disabled Irish woman who went missing while on a pilgrimage in Lourdes has been located alive by French rescue teams, reports Breaking News.
She had been travelling as part of a group from the Diocese of Derry and was last seen on Sunday evening. Her absence was reported to authorities by pilgrimage organisers the following Monday morning.
Her disappearance caused serious concern due to her reliance on a walking frame and the extreme weather alerts in effect, as the region endured an intense heatwave, reports Breaking News.
A significant search operation was launched, during which her walking aid was found at the side of a road near the village of Lugagnan.
She was eventually discovered by firefighters roughly 10 metres below a nearby road. Authorities believe she had crossed the Gave de Pau river, as she was located on the opposite side in a steep and remote area, reports Breaking News.
The woman had suffered a hip injury and was taken to hospital for treatment, though her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
According to the media outlet Dépeche, French police credited a recently launched text alert system for helping locate the missing woman.
Police sent out a message about her disappearance to local shopkeepers, taxi drivers, railway staff, and other service providers. A witness responded shortly afterward, reports Breaking News.
“We were told that a document belonging to the missing woman was found on the outskirts of Lourdes on a road towards Argeles-Gazost,” said a police spokesperson.
That lead prompted search teams to concentrate efforts in that area, and mountain bike police discovered the walking frame beside the road near Lugagnan, reports Breaking News.
“They then inspected the surrounding area, particularly the banks of the Gace,” they added, reports Breaking News.
“She clearly crossed the Gave since she was on the other side, in a steep and difficult-to-access area,” reports Breaking News.
According to French media, the woman was rescued by firefighters and transported by ambulance to a Lourdes hospital for treatment, reports Breaking News.
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