The funeral of the Frenchman Hervé Gourdel, who was kidnapped and then murdered in September by Algerian jihadists, was held this Friday morning in Nice in a private family setting, with the presence of Ségolène Royal representing the French government.
His remains had been repatriated to France on Monday from Algiers, eleven days after being discovered in Kabylia. The minister paid tribute to “a passionate defender of nature, its protection, a man fraternally curious about other cultures.”
The ashes of the former mountain guide are expected to be scattered next summer at the summit of Mount Gelas (3,143 meters), the highest point of the Mercantour massif bordering the Italian border, according to a former colleague.
The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, and the president of the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes, Eric Ciotti, who personally knew the mountain guide and his family, also attended the ceremony.
