Missing French tourist in Chad found dead ‘after a fall’

The 70-year-old man – from the city of Dijon, according to a French newspaper report – had been missing since Wednesday.

He was part of a group visiting Chad for the International Festival of Saharan Cultures in the city of Amdjarass, about 100km (60 miles) from the Sudan border.

“We found the body in the Bachekele mountains and are waiting for the prosecutor to record the findings before any evacuation to N’Djamena,” said Abakar Rozi Teguil, who is also minister for culture, without giving further details.

The man set off with a friend, also French, “without a guide” to “explore the area” of Guelta de Bachikele, a Saharan oasis, said local government representative Mahamat Togou Tchohimi.

The two men left the group early on Wednesday “without prior authorisation” and “outside the established supervision arrangements”, Chad’s tourism ministry said in a statement on Thursday.