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| British snowboarder unlikely to survive accident in French Alps, say relatives | British snowboarder unlikely to survive accident in French Alps, say relatives |
| (8 days later) | |
| Relatives of a British student who is fighting for her life after a snowboarding accident in the French Alps said last night that she is unlikely to survive. | Relatives of a British student who is fighting for her life after a snowboarding accident in the French Alps said last night that she is unlikely to survive. |
| Emily Watts, a 26-year-old from Lavenham, Suffolk, fell headfirst into a snowdrift and was stuck for about 45 minutes following the fall in Chamonix on Saturday. | Emily Watts, a 26-year-old from Lavenham, Suffolk, fell headfirst into a snowdrift and was stuck for about 45 minutes following the fall in Chamonix on Saturday. |
| She had suffered a cardiac arrest by the time emergency crews reached her, prompting fears of brain damage. | She had suffered a cardiac arrest by the time emergency crews reached her, prompting fears of brain damage. |
| French police were unable to notify her family for a day as Watts was not wearing any identification, a relative said. | French police were unable to notify her family for a day as Watts was not wearing any identification, a relative said. |
| However, her parents, Nicky and Dominic, along with her 27-year-old brother Rory, have flown to France to be by her bedside while she remains on a life support machine. | However, her parents, Nicky and Dominic, along with her 27-year-old brother Rory, have flown to France to be by her bedside while she remains on a life support machine. |
| Watts, an experienced snowboarder who was known as Mimi, had been in France for a number of weeks and was working at the resort, said her aunt, Shona Pollock. | Watts, an experienced snowboarder who was known as Mimi, had been in France for a number of weeks and was working at the resort, said her aunt, Shona Pollock. |
| She said the family were "consumed with grief" as it became clear that the student was unlikely to recover. | She said the family were "consumed with grief" as it became clear that the student was unlikely to recover. |
| "She's on a life support machine but it won't be for long," Pollock said. "I have a religious friend who said there is still hope but I don't believe there is. Her brain was starved of oxygen for about 45 minutes. | "She's on a life support machine but it won't be for long," Pollock said. "I have a religious friend who said there is still hope but I don't believe there is. Her brain was starved of oxygen for about 45 minutes. |
| "It's so sad. Mimi is a fabulous, outgoing character, plucky, and someone who loved the mountains. "She is adored by her brother. She's just a thoroughly positive, optimistic, lovely girl." | "It's so sad. Mimi is a fabulous, outgoing character, plucky, and someone who loved the mountains. "She is adored by her brother. She's just a thoroughly positive, optimistic, lovely girl." |
| The accident, in which no one else is believed to have been involved, happened in Les Grands Montets, the largest pisted skiing area in the Chamonix Valley. | The accident, in which no one else is believed to have been involved, happened in Les Grands Montets, the largest pisted skiing area in the Chamonix Valley. |
| The Daily Mail quoted a source close to the French emergency services as saying: "She went just a couple of metres off-piste in an area dotted with small bushes and fell down a 1.5m 'hole' created by snow "ploughs. She fell head first into thick snow and was knocked unconscious." | The Daily Mail quoted a source close to the French emergency services as saying: "She went just a couple of metres off-piste in an area dotted with small bushes and fell down a 1.5m 'hole' created by snow "ploughs. She fell head first into thick snow and was knocked unconscious." |
| Watts reportedly graduated a number of years ago from Sussex University after studying costume design and was due to return next year to start a masters degree in design. | Watts reportedly graduated a number of years ago from Sussex University after studying costume design and was due to return next year to start a masters degree in design. |
| A Foreign Office spokeswoman said staff were providing consular assistance to the family. | A Foreign Office spokeswoman said staff were providing consular assistance to the family. |
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