“We are aware that a woman in her twenties, from Norrland, has died in France,” Johan Tegel, a spokesperson for the Swedish foreign ministry, told The Local on Friday morning.
The woman, who was on holiday in France, fell ten metres to her death as she tried to reach safety shortly after escaping a serious car accident, report French media.
She was in the car with two other people when the accident occurred late on Wednesday night.
They were driving along a road in Sainte Maxime, in southern France's Var département on the French Riviera.
An American man behind the wheel reportedly swerved to avoid another vehicle, prompting the car to roll “several times”, the French media reported.
The car came to rest in the middle of a bridge, reported the local Var Matin newspaper.
The accident happened on the French Riviera. Photo: Google Maps
The two female passengers, both Swedes according to Le Parisien newspaper, are understood to have escaped major injuries from the crash.
However, in their attempts to avoid being hit by any incoming traffic, they both hopped over the road's railings, not being able to see in the dark that there was a drop of 10 metres on the other side.
The Swedish woman died as a result of the fall while her female companion survived without serious injury after having fallen on some kind of vegetation.
The driver was taken into custody while police investigate whether alcohol or drugs were involved.
The relationship between the trio remains unknown, although the Europe 1 channel reported that they met the driver at a party.
The Swedish foreign ministry had no information about the survivors.
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