Lets start with some insensitive not politically correct remark:
Un Allemand de 55 ans qui pratiquait le kitesurf sur l’étang de Salses-Leucate, .. a fait une chute mortelle quand une bourrasque de vent l’a projeté sur la plage contre un reste d’ancien bunker
A 55 years old German doing kite surf in Leucate was killed after a sudden gust as it landed on a old bunker (I guess an old blockhaus).
So a German was kill by the remains of the WII German army.
Now more seriously some analysis:
La victime était «un amateur venu avec son propre matériel et qui avait déjà eu un incident sans gravité sur l’étang peu avant» l’accident.
the victime was an amateur (what ever it means) kite with his own gear (OK) who ALREADY had a MINOR incident on the pound JUSTE BEFORE the accident.
Basically despite the early warning, he did not understand that the condition were above his head.
il y avait «des rafales à 80 km/h». ... Les gens du coin connaissent ce type de vent très fort, les kitesurfers d’ici n’ont pas d’accident» de ce genre, Mais les touristes étrangers n’ont pas l’habitude de conditions de vent, ils devraient prendre des précautions»,
There was gust up to 80 km/h (43 KNOTS).
The local guys know those type of high wind. The local kites do not have accident.
But the tourist are not used to the conditions and should be careful.
To summarize:: this guy did not know how to read a wind meter. He did not know that he was not able to handle 43 knots and despite an early warning he did not stop kiting.
Personally I kite since 2003. I have kite in Beauduc (south of France) up to 30 knots average, gust up to 35 knots in a relative open open water (wind is parallel to the beach in those condition).
I would NEVER kite with gust at 43 knots in a POUND (i.e. with beach all around you).
I did some windsurfing in Leucate years ago and I know that it is super gusty.