An Ottawa teenager on summer vacation in France has been missing for five days in the French Alps, according to rescue officials.
Authorities in France say 17-year-old Yassin Juali was last seen on July 12 while hiking a mountain trail with friends in France’s Chamonix-Mont-Blanc region, a resort area near the crossroads of France, Switzerland and Italy.
Commander Andre-Vianni Espinasse of the Peloton of the Gendarmerie of the Haute Montagne (PGHM) in Chamonix says Juali was running along a trail when he was last seen. His friends reported him missing late last Tuesday night.
“On the evening of July 12, we received a report about the disappearance of a young runner. His friends who were running with him could no longer find him,” Espinase told CTV News Ottawa in French.
Chamonix Mont-Blanc PGHM issued a missing person alert on Wednesday, saying the search was focusing on all trails between Chamonix and Montenver.
At its peak, 35 people were involved in the search, along with drones and search dog teams. Espinasse says the authorities are concentrating all their efforts on any new search, “but the problem is that at the moment we have not received any new leads”.
“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Espinase said, noting that the search area is massive with a focus on Mont Blanc, Mer de Glace and Montenver station.
Espinase says authorities are in close contact with Juali’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 Juali.
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