A leading French philosopher who wrote a book on risk-taking has died after attempting to rescue two children from drowning, reports The Independent.
Anne Dufourmantelle entered the water at Pampelonne beach near St Tropez on 21 July after the children got into difficulty.
Witnesses say she immediately tried to reach them but was swept away by a strong current. Attempts to resusciate her after she was recovered failed, according to local media reports.
The children were later rescued by lifeguards, unharmed. It was unclear whether Dufourmantelle knew them.
She wrote several essays on the importance of risk-taking, as well as a book titled Praise of Risk, which was published in 2011.
French culture minister Françoise Nyssen said in a statement that Dufourmantelle was "a great philosopher who helped us live."
"A great philosopher, a psychoanalyst, she helped us to live and think about the world today," she wrote in a tribute on Twitter.
Fellow philsopher Raphaël Enthoven also tweeted that he was “sad and stunned" to learn of Dufourmantelle's death.
"She spoke so well of dreams," he wrote.