 |
Emile LerayFrench electrician who survived in the desert
Country:
 France |
Content:
Emile Leray: The French Electrician Who Survived in the Desert
When Emile tried to assess the situation and his chances soberly, he had to admit that things were not going well. He was stranded in the Moroccan desert, his car had a broken axle, and the nearest town was unreachable. However, Emile had a supply of water and food, and soon he came up with a plan. Emile Leray, an electrician by profession, became famous thanks to his journey through the desert. If he had not ended up stranded in the desert, the world might never have heard of him or known the story of his incredible rescue. In 1993, he was driving his Citroen 2CV through the Moroccan desert. He had 40 liters of fuel, a full tank, a supply of water, some food, and basic tools that any motorist would have in their trunk. At one of the checkpoints, he was stopped by the military and asked to turn back as a military conflict had erupted in the area. Not wanting to give up on his plans, Emile decided to take a detour and ventured further into the desert. At some point, he lost control of the car, crashed into a rock at full speed, and broke the wheel axle. His situation was quite dire - the nearest town was at least 20 miles away through the desert, and Emile was not sure if he could make it. Moreover, he had no navigation systems, and the journey could be more challenging than it seemed, even though Emile had been to these places a dozen times before. He had no certainty that he could find his way to the nearest village. Assessing the situation, Leray developed a plan - he decided to act independently and save himself. After spending the night, he set out to implement his plan - converting his Citroen 2CV into a motorcycle. Calculating the time and realizing that he had about ten days of supplies, Emile began working. He started by removing the hood and doors and using the car body as a tent. Then he built a frame, installed an engine and a gearbox on it - what he ended up with vaguely resembled vehicles from the movie "Mad Max." Astonishingly, Leray did not have any welding equipment, soldering lamp, or even a drill. However, his motorcycle was ready soon enough. By the way, initially, he underestimated the scope of work, expecting to build the motorcycle in three days. It turned out that it took him twelve days. During this time, Emile experienced several sandstorms, endured scorching heat during the day, and the car body offered no protection from the cold at night. But Emile had no other choice - no one was going to rescue him, and it would be impossible to find him, so he could not rely on anyone. In the end, he managed to reach the nearest checkpoint on his makeshift motorcycle and ask for help from the military.
By the way, he was fined quite heavily - unfortunately, Emile did not have and could not have any documents for his vehicle. He refused to publicize the story of his miraculous rescue for a long time, even though journalists tried to make it a sensation. However, he later decided to share his story in detail.
Biography of Emile Leray
Emile Leray, now 63 years old, resides in the south of France. He kept his motorcycle as a memory of his trip through the Moroccan desert and even agreed to pose on it for photographers.
