HNA Group chairman Wang Jian dies in 15-metre fall onto rocks while posing for a photo in France
Police describe death as accidental, say businessman lost his balance while standing on a wall overlooking cliff
The chairman of Chinese conglomerate HNA Group, Wang Jian, died from injuries sustained after falling 15 metres (50 feet) onto rocks while posing for a photograph during a visit to France, local police said.
The incident happened in the village of Bonnieux in the Provence region, an officer from the nearby town of Pertuis told the South China Morning Post in a telephone interview.
HNA Group had earlier issued a statement saying the 57 year old had been on a business trip. It did not give the circumstances of Wang’s death or provide an exact location.
The police officer, who declined to be named, said Wang climbed onto a “small wall” for a photograph but lost his balance and fell. The incident happened just before 11am, he said.
A colonel with the Vaucluse gendarmerie, which is responsible for security in the region, told the Post that the wall was about 1.2 metres high and overlooked a cliff. Wang was standing on it when he tumbled 10-15 metres to the rocks below, said the officer, who also declined to give his name.