Posted April 06, 2020 21:45:56

Photo: The post said the man was quickly found by rescuers after getting lost in the mountains. (Facebook: PGHM des Pyrénées-Orientales)

A French man who needed to be rescued by helicopter after attempting to walk across the border into Spain through the mountains has been fined for breaking coronavirus lockdown measures.

The man left the French city of Perpignan by car and was turned back at the border controls between France and Spain, according to a Facebook post by French police.

"Today we deployed a rescue helicopter from the Civil Defence of Perpignan to fetch an individual, exhausted, shivering with cold and lost in the mountains of Le Perthus," the post read.

It is understood that he was attempting to travel to the Spanish town of Jonquera before his car was turned around, according to the post.

Then he decided to hike instead, in the hopes of crossing the border through the mountains.

"He fell in a stream, then into brambles, got lost and finally contacted the rescue services," it said.

"The poor man was quickly found by our rescuers, before being lifted and evacuated by helicopter to the civil security base at Perpignan."

The man was fined 135 euros ($240), and charged for not "respecting confinement measures".

"It seems the message hasn't gotten through … We remind you once again: stay home!"

French media has reported that before the lockdown, residents of southern France would travel to Spain to buy things like cigarettes, fuel and alcohol, which are cheaper across the border.

Topics: covid-19, diseases-and-disorders, government-and-politics, control-methods, disease-control, epidemics-and-pandemics, france, spain