A British kayaker has died in a river in the French Alps after heavy snow swelled the water to dangerous levels.

The man is the second to die in two days after an Irish pensioner capsized in the same area.

It comes amid warnings by local guides that a winter of heavy snow has caused water levels to rise to dangerous levels and that even experienced kayakers should take care.

The British man, in his 50s, was ten minutes into a supervised kayaking group trip on the Durance river near Briançon, in the southeast of France, on Tuesday when the group ran into trouble.

The party had left from Fontenil in the Upper Alps, at an altitude of around 1,200 metres.

At around 3pm his kayak flipped over, according to local media reports, rendering him unconscious.

Two guides rushed to his aid, according to witnesses, and emergency crews, including a rescue helicopter, later followed.

At 3.30pm, police issued a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “A rescue operation is underway in the town of Briançon to try and help kayakers in difficulty in the Durance. Please do not interfere with the rescue operation.”

Much higher water levels

Rescuers managed to save two other kayakers from the group of 10, but the British man could not be resuscitated after he was pulled out of the river.

“I confirm the death of a man of English nationality,” public prosecutor Marion Lozac’hmeur told outlet Dauphiné Libéré.

The man was reportedly an experienced kayaker, and an investigation has been launched into his death.

Speaking to the Telegraph, local kayak guide Pascal Gilbert of Eaurigine Rafting Briançon Serre-Chevalier said heavy snow has made a normally easy route perilous for kayaking.

“We had sailed with a rafting group just beforehand and were on our way back up the river by van when we came across the rescue operation,” he said.

“There were two guides helping out. Apparently, the level of the group was decent. This is not one of the most challenging courses but we have much higher water levels than in previous years due to the amount of snow at altitude.”

“All it takes is for the person to flip over and hit a rock and lose consciousness. The problem is, you have to get the person back upright but it’s not easy to rescue another kayaker with these water levels as there are few places where you can stop,” he added.

“With these levels, we increase the difficulty level by one grade and advise people not to go beyond their level.”

Investigation launched

The man’s death follows that of a 73-year-old Irish man on Monday, who was also kayaking in the same area, with three others.

His fellow kayakers contacted emergency services but they were unable to resuscitate the man.

An investigation has been launched.

Mr Gilbert said like an avalanche poses a risk for skiers, heavy snow is a hazard for kayakers.

He said there have been lots of groups of foreign kayakers in the area in recent days and urged them to take care.

Mr Gilbert said the man who died on Tuesday had not used a local kayak company. “It was either a British company or they were doing the route on their own.”