Earlier this morning, Dakar Rally organizers confirmed the death of Belgian competitor Eric Palante (pictured). They report that they found Palante’s body at kilometre 143 along the fifth stage of the rally between Chilecito and Tucuman, Argentina.
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“It is with great sadness that the organizers and the entire family of the Dakar offer their condolences to Eric’s family and friends,” the release ended.
Additionally, two members of the Argentine press lost their lives on Thursday when the car they were driving in fell into a ravine. Super Rally magazine editor Francisco Delgado has told Agence France-Presse that the two dead are 20-year-old Agustin Mina and 51-year-old Daniel Ambrosio.
Two others, 31-year-old Martin Delgado (the editor’s son) and 36-year-old Rodrigo de Quesada, survived the accident and were taken to a hospital in Tucuman. Both of them are photographers for the magazine.
According to Francisco Delgado’s comments to AFP, the car “fell 100 meters [330 feet] over a cliff and those in the front seat were killed instantly. The others were saved.”
