Authorities in France say Yassin Jouali, 17, was last seen on July 12 while on a mountain trail with friends in France’s Chamonix-Mont-Blanc region, a resort area near the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy.
Commander André-Vianney Espinasse of the Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (PGHM) Peloton in Chamonix says Jouali was running on the trail when he was last seen. His friends reported him missing late last Tuesday night.
“On the afternoon of July 12, we received a notification about the disappearance of a young trail runner. His friends who were running with him could no longer find him,” Espinasse told CTV News Ottawa in French.
The Chamonix Mont-Blanc PGHM issued a missing person alert on Wednesday, saying the search is focused on all trails between Chamonix and Montenvers.
At the height of the search, 35 people were involved, along with drones and search dog teams. Espinasse says authorities are focusing all their efforts on any new searches, “but the problem is right now we haven’t received any new clients.”
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Espinasse said, noting that the search zone is huge centered on Mont-Blanc, mer de Glace and Montenvers station.
Espinasse says authorities are in close contact with Jouali’s family.
Chamonix is more than 200 kilometers from Lyon, France.
Friends tell CTV News Ottawa that Jouali recently graduated from Sir Robert Borden High School in Ottawa.
Some family members and friends have traveled to France to help search for Jouali.
