Briton, 27, killed in boat accident on French river

A BRITISH woman has died after falling from a boat after it hit a beacon in a French river.

The 27-year-old fell overboard on Saturday night in the Rhone river in Avignon, southern France.

Divers later descended 20ft to search for her body and retrieve it. Five other people, including another Briton, were injured. Eight friends aged 20 to 30 – four French and four British – were onboard the 23ft boat with a pilot aged around 50 when it struck the beacon at 10.45pm local time on Saturday.

Five were taken to local hospitals, two with serious injuries. “Everyone is in shock,” said police, who are investigating the incident.