The body of Olivier Roche, the pilot who went missing in the French Alps on 18 August, has been found.
The body was recovered by helicopter on Tuesday 29 August in the mountains south of Briançon, between the villages of Guillestre and Château-Ville-Vieille – about 10km from where he launched from. The local public prosecutor from the town of Gap said an autopsy would be performed.
In a statement the family said: “Dad was found yesterday, so the funeral will finally take place. Since his disappearance on Friday 18 August we have searched tirelessly and hoped to find him alive. It took 11 days.”
The family said the funeral will take place at 2.15pm on Thursday 7 September at the Saint Sauveur Cathedral in Aix en Provence. Friends and pilots are welcome to attend.
Olivier, 65, went missing during an afternoon flight from Ceillac. His last reported position, sent via Google Maps, was at 4.10pm close to the Col des Ugousses at 2,900m, 10km ESE of launch. He was flying an Advance Epsilon 9 paraglider with black leading edge.
Despite a search that started that afternoon and involved five helicopters no sign of him was found and the official search was called off after four days. Family, friends and volunteers continued to look.
The family statement added: “Thank you to all of you who have been with us in spirit or physically.”
Olivier is survived by his wife, Catherine, and their three children.
