British soldier L/Cpl Darren Jones 'drowns in France'
- Published
The incident is understood to have happened near Pegasus Bridge
A British soldier has died in France, the Army has confirmed.
L/Cpl Darren Jones, of the Royal Engineers, was in Normandy as part of a team assisting in the D-Day 75th anniversary commemorations.
He is thought to have got into difficulties while swimming in a canal near Pegasus Bridge.
The incident is understood to have happened either late on Saturday night or early on Sunday morning while L/Cpl Jones was on down-time.
An Army spokeswoman said: "It is with sadness that we must confirm the death of a service person in France.
"Our thoughts are with their family at this difficult time."
French police are understood to be investigating but are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
A post-mortem examination is yet to be carried out.
The anniversary of the Normandy landings is being marked by a series of events this week, with Prince Charles, US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Theresa May travelling to France for the occasion.
Pegasus Bridge was the first site liberated by British forces during the Allied invasion on D-Day.
It was named after the emblem worn by British airborne troops, who flew in by glider and parachute at just after midnight on 6 June 1944 to capture the bridge in B茅nouville.