Kenzo Kies, a 21-year-old player, died after drowning Monday in the Rhône near Lyon in a prohibited swimming area. Saint-Étienne and Guingamp clubs announced his death Wednesday evening.
Kenzo Kies, who spent seven years at the AS Saint-Étienne training centre, was pulled unconscious from the water by firefighters around 6 p.m. Tuesday at Parc de la Feyssine between Villeurbanne and Caluire-et-Cuire. The Lyon prosecutor’s office said he had been hospitalised in a state of brain death before he died.
AS Saint-Étienne described him as « a talented player and a discreet young man appreciated by all ». The club added that « no one will ever forget you » in the corridors of L’Étrat. En Avant Guingamp, where Kies played in the reserve team since last summer, also offered condolences to his family.
The accident occurred as temperatures reached 38 °C and more than half the country was under red heatwave alert. The Lyon prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the drowning.
