Pictured: British man, 24, who died at French ski resort after falling down a crevasse

Pictured: British man, 24, who died at French ski resort after falling down a crevasse as his desperate family launch campaign to bring his body home

  • Corey Watson, 24, was found lying at the foot of a cliff in Les Allues, France 
  • He was staying three miles away in Brides-les-Bains and had been on a night out  
  • Cousin Jemma Watson said the family is ‘absolutely devastated’ by the tragedy 

A 24-year-old British man who died at a French ski resort after falling down a crevasse has been named.

Corey Watson, who had been working in Brides-les-Bains, was reported missing by friends at 5am on Thursday after he argued with a friend following a night out.

Cousin Jemma Watson, who lives in Newcastle, said the family are ‘absolutely devastated’ by his death and has launched a fundraiser to help them pay to fly him back to the UK and for his funeral.

His body was discovered at the foot of a cliff by a helicopter crew almost 12 hours after he was reported missing. The frantic search involved firefighters, police and mountain rescue equipped dogs. 

He was found in Les Allues, three miles from his accommodation in Brides-les-Bains and where he had been socialising.

Police believe that he fell off the cliff after getting lost on the way back to his accommodation, it was reported on Friday. 

British man missing in French alps has been named as 24-year-old Corey Watson (pictured)

Mr Watson had been reported missing by his friends following an argument in Les Allues

He had been on a night out on Wednesday

Mr Watson had been reported missing by his friends following an argument in Les Allues after a night out on Wednesday. His body was found at the foot of a cliff

A post on social media group Meribel Seasonnaires 2019.20 from Thursday read: ‘Has anyone seen Corey Watson? He had an argument last night with a friend in Les Allues and hasn’t been seen since. 

‘Police have been notified and any info would be amazing.’

Cousin Ms Watson wrote on Go Fund Me: ‘As a lot of you may know by now, my cousin was sadly found dead in France after a tragic accident falling down a crevice.

‘All the family are absolutely devastated with this news and just want to get Corey’s body home.

‘I’m setting this up to raise as much as possible to help Corey’s dad and mam with getting him back to the UK and his funeral. Any donation no matter how small helps.’ 

He was found in Les Allues, where he had been out for the night, three miles from his accommodation in Brides-les-Bains

He was found in Les Allues, where he had been out for the night, three miles from his accommodation in Brides-les-Bains

A spokesman for Albertville police said on Friday: ‘Unfortunately the body of a man was discovered yesterday after a big search.

‘He was most probably the victim of a fall. We believe he was walking back from Les Allues to his accommodation in Brides-les-Bains. He departed with some other people but they became separated.

‘He was reported missing in the early hours. He was discovered not far from Les Allues. It appears he had not walked that far.

‘We have no further information. An investigation into the death of the man has been opened and this will determine how he died and how far he fell. We can give no further details.

‘Currently we have little information about him and are trying to establish if he was a season worker or a tourist.’

The man, who has not been named, was staying in Brides-les-Bains, near the ski resorts of Courchevel and Méribel (pictured)

The man, who has not been named, was staying in Brides-les-Bains, near the ski resorts of Courchevel and Méribel (pictured)

The three-mile walk between Les Allues and Brides-Les-Bains takes about an hour-and-a-half. In the early hours of Thursday the temperature was minus three degrees celsius.

Brides-les-Bains is directly linked by a cable-car to the famous resort of Méribel, popular with British skiers. 

The town was an Olympic Village for the 1992 Winter Olympics based in Albertville.

The tragedy comes just weeks after British doctor William Reid, 25, fell to his death in the French ski resort of Avoriaz.

William, from Edinburgh, was on the fifth day of a New Year holiday with his girlfriend and his family.

They had just enjoyed lunch and were making their way back to their accommodation. His family said he took a wrong turn and fell. Medics battled in vain to try and save him. 

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man who has died in the French Alps, and are in contact with the local authorities.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk