'Killed By Indifference': A death On A Busy Paris Street Has Stunned France.

The death of an 85-year-old man, who died of hypothermia after collapsing and being left sprawled and forgotten on a bitterly cold street in central Paris for nine hours, has sparked grief, indignation, and incredulity throughout France and abroad.

René Robert, a Swiss photographer who captured some of Spain's most famous flamenco stars, died last week after slipping on one of his nightly walks through his crowded Paris neighborhood.

Robert collapsed in Rue de Turbigo, between the Place de la République and Les Halles, according to his buddy, journalist Michel Mompontet.

In a series of tweets, Mompontet stated, "He had a dizzy episode and fell." "He lay rooted to the spot in the cold for nine hours, unable to get up, until a homeless person called for help." It's too late. He was suffering from hypothermia and couldn't hold on to life. During those nine hours, no one bothered to inquire as to why this man was sleeping on the sidewalk. "Not a single one."

"If this awful death could serve any purpose, it would be this: when a human is lying on the pavement, we should check on them – no matter how busy we may be," Mompontet said on France TV Info, adding: "If this awful death could serve any purpose, it would be this: when a human is lying on the pavement, we should check on them – no matter how busy we may be."

When it came to people on the street, Mompontet pointed out that many people, including himself, often looked the other way. "Before I provide any lessons or accuse anyone," the journalist told France TV Info, "I need to deal with a small subject that makes me feel uneasy." "Am I certain that if I had been confronted with that scene - a man on the ground – I would have stopped?" "Have I ever walked past a homeless person sleeping in a doorway?"

The incident, which occurred in a Paris neighborhood where many homeless people sleep on the streets, has triggered a discussion about civic accountability and fundamental human decency.