TWO divers have been found buried dead after a towering cliff collapsed onto a packed beach, with locals describing an “explosion” followed by a monstrous wave.
The horror unfolded on Wednesday evening near Miramar beach in Biarritz, , close to the lighthouse.
Two divers were found buried dead after a cliff collapsed at a popular beach location Credit: X/@Prefet64
The horror unfolded on Wednesday evening near Miramar beach in Biarritz, close to the lighthouse Credit: Alamy
The cliff face, spanning an estimated 2,000 square metres, had plunged into the sea in a catastrophic landslide.
Rescue crews later confirmed that two people had been buried beneath the rubble.
A woman’s body was pulled from the debris by emergency workers on Wednesday night.
Officials confirmed: “One of the two bodies, a woman, has been recovered.”
The collapse struck at around 8:20pm during an intense , as crowds of swimmers had taken to the water in a desperate attempt to cool off.
According to initial reports, three local divers had been at the foot of the cliff when disaster struck, with two of them caught directly in the deadly collapse.
Authorities said: “Two of these divers are currently believed to be buried under the debris from the collapse,” as a frantic race against time began.
A massive emergency response was launched within minutes, with firefighters, sea rescue teams, officers and a gendarmerie helicopter all scrambling to the scene.
Search operations continued late into the night, with officials confirming the effort had been “actively underway for over an hour and is still ongoing” by 10pm.
The only surviving diver managed to escape the carnage and was taken into care, described as “physically unharmed” but “deeply shaken” and receiving urgent medical and psychological support.
Eyewitnesses painted a chilling picture of the moment the cliff gave way, with one describing a sudden and terrifying blast.
“The noise was really impressive. It was all calm and suddenly we heard something like a clap of thunder. There was a big wave afterwards,” said Txema and Keema, two 19-year-old locals.
Another witness, Léa, 30, said she heard “a big explosion” just moments before the cliff collapsed.
A further eyewitness told how the scene turned to chaos in seconds: “We heard a loud bang and saw the whole section of the cliff slide and collapse into the water.
“A guy got out and said there were two people around him.”
The beach had been busy at the time, with many swimmers dangerously close to the cliff due to low tide conditions.
“There were a lot of people along [the cliff] since it was low tide,” the witness added.
For some, the terror was overwhelming, with one parent describing the sheer force of the collapse.
“My daughter was terrified; the fall caused a huge wave, 1.5 meters high,” Vincent said.
In the aftermath of the deadly disaster, authorities swiftly sealed off the entire area “until further notice” amid fears of further collapses.
Biarritz mayor Serge Blanco rushed to the scene as emergency crews battled through the wreckage in a desperate search for the missing.
The tragedy has left the popular seaside destination in shock.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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