Base jumper dies after plunging from 6,000ft cliff edge while wearing wing suit
Topics: News, World News, Sport, Travel
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Getty/Andrea Comi/Getty/Oliver Furrer
Topics: News, World News, Sport, Travel
Police have confirmed a fourth person has died this summer after jumping from a cliff edge in the Italian mountains.
There are a lot of extreme sports out there and base jumping is just one of many that have become popular over the years.
Unfortunately, base jumping also comes with significant risks due to the nature of the sport, jumping off from high points to open a parachute after flying through the sky.
Authorities in Italy have confirmed that recently a 33-year-old British man was fatally injured after leaping from a cliff while wearing a wing suit in the Italian Dolomites.
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The man was not base jumping alone from the cliffs, however.
Two other people had jumped before him and the pair raised the alarm when the 33-year-old failed to meet them at the agreed point.
The tragedy happened at around 1800m at Pala di San Lucano neat Belluno, which is a popular spot for those who take part in any thrill seeking activities.
The two other jumpers alerted mountain rescue teams and they used Go Pro footage from them as well as drones and a helicopter in an operation that took more than four hours to find and recover the victim.
The man’s body was found around 80 metres from where he had jumped and his body has since been flown to a local mortuary.
Speaking to the Mail Online, Diego Favero, of the local mountain rescue, gave further details regarding the recovery of the man.
He said: “It was a difficult operation, and it was several hours before we were able to locate and recover the body.
“We got the call just after 10am and it was almost four by the time we finished because he had landed in an inaccessible area.
“The other base jumpers he was with raised the alarm and they gave us their Go Pro footage to help with the search.
“Locally this is the second in a month but across the region there have been four deaths from base jumping this summer alone.”
The police have confirmed they have also launched an investigation into the incident.
A police spokesman in Belluno said: “I can confirm a 33 year old a British man has died in a base jumping incident on Wednesday morning.
“His body was recovered by the mountain rescue teams and a prosecutor is investigating, with the two people he was with being questioned."