Man killed by flying boules ball

The gentle French pastime of boules has taken a tragic knock after a player was killed by a flying metal ball during a game.

Pétanque, or boules, is traditionally seen as a tranquil sport played by pastis-sipping retirees in Provence.



But the heavy iron balls used can prove lethal. On Friday, Franck Hourcade, 39, was struck by a fellow player's pétanque ball as he bent down to check how close his own was to the cochonnet - the smaller wooden target ball.

Mr Hourcade was rushed to hospital in Lourdes but pronounced dead on arrival following the game in the village of Adé in the Pyrenees, southwestern France. It is believed to be the first known fatality in the sport, which is played by some 17 million people in France.