According to French media reports, a 17-year-old girl was run over and killed by a truck while celebrating France's victory over Morocco in the World Cup. The driver has been charged with manslaughter.
The incident occurred in Aunoir-Émilie, France, where Ophelia was celebrating France's advancement to the semi-finals with thousands of fans in the streets. Reports indicate that at 12:30 AM local time on Friday (7:30 AM Beijing time), she climbed onto a parked truck with a group of revelers, but fell to her death after the truck started moving.
A police spokesperson said, "She and others climbed onto the side of the truck but fell onto the road. She was then run over by the same vehicle. Attempts were made to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after midnight."
According to the French newspaper Le Parisien, the driver "brought several people onto his truck to show off." The 45-year-old driver was charged on Saturday with drunk driving causing death, and also with failing to provide assistance to the victim.
Ophelia's mother, Laurence, wrote on social media in anguish: "My dear, I miss you so much, my angel." Ophelia, from Gémont in northern France, was attending a celebration with her boyfriend, Lorenzo. The two had been dating for several months and planned to move in together later this year. Lorenzo's uncle told the media: "My sister called me at 4 a.m.... It's a tragedy. My nephew witnessed everything, and he's devastated. Ophelia's father can't understand what happened. She shouldn't have left like this at her age, it's impossible."
French police deployed more than 200,000 officers nationwide on Friday in one of the largest operations in recent years to combat football-related unrest. Police feared a repeat of the violence that erupted in Paris after the club's Champions League victory over Arsenal in late May, which resulted in 890 arrests. However, only 10 people were arrested in Paris on Friday, with "fewer" arrests in other areas. Police stated, "It was a very successful operation; the vast majority of supporters celebrated peacefully."
