People in mourning participate in a silent march to commemorate rescuers killed during a rescue operation

Fifteen thousand people took part Monday in a slow and silent procession in the seaside town of Sables d'Olonne to pay tribute to three rescuers killed during a rescue mission. The volunteers had gone to help a fishing boat in rough waters before their boat rolled over. Three died, while four managed to swim to the shore.

Crowds gathered Monday in the seaside resort of Sables d'Olonne in Vendée to pay tribute to three volunteers who died when their ship capsized, struck by a giant storm that hit the Atlantic coast of the country.

The team at the National Society for Rescue at Sea (SNSM) had tried to help a fishing boat struggling in the giant swell caused by the storm Miguel before the rollover of their boat on June 7th.

Wearing white flowers, the mourners lined the beach from 10:30 am (Paris time) to pay tribute, while sea rescuers dressed in orange paraded with a large flag bearing the SNSM logo.

Meanwhile, a large flotilla of boats was also on display to honor the memory of the three killed volunteers and a minute of silence was observed.

Seven vessels were aboard the SAWS vessel when it capsized.

Three of them died while four managed to swim up to the beach.

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The three victims were 28, 51 and 55 respectively and were all experienced sailors.

Marine officials said the crew was using one of the "all weather" vessels of the SNSM, specifically designed to be unsinkable and able to recover automatically if it was overturned.

Météo France, the country's forecaster, issued orange weather warnings in 10 areas near the country's west coast when storm Miguel made landfall in France on Friday, bringing winds up to 120 km / h.

On Saturday, President Emmanuel Macron awarded the three men the posthumous Legion of Honor, calling them "heroes".

The SNSM was established in 1967 and has 8,000 search and rescue volunteers. In 2017, the team saved more than 9,000 lives.