A British base jumper dies after falling more than 400 metres to his death. Mark Andrews died in the same spot as another Brit a year ago.
Mark Andrews, aged 65, fell more than 400 metres and died instantly on Saturday. Another British base jumper died last year in the same place.
Mr Andrews was understood to be wearing a wingsuit and a parachute. It is unclear why his parachute failed to deploy. He was reportedly jumping on his own at the popular spot at Paganella in the Italian Dolomites.
Mr Andrews completed nearly 600 jumps since taking up the sport less than 10 years ago.
“He came to base jumping quite late,” a fellow jumper told Mail Online. “He’s only been doing it since 2014 but he packed a lot into those nine years.
“He was fearless and will be missed. He was a regular in Italy at various base-jumping events but had also base-jumped all over the world off bridges and skyscrapers.”
Not a straightforward descent
According to another base jumper, the location was known to be difficult.
“It’s not a straightforward descent, there are rock and tree ledges for the first 400 metres before it then hits 1,500 metres straight down.
“You have to be careful with the wind as well. And that’s why only experienced professionals jump from that point, with others heading to another location about 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) away at Mt Brenta.”
Base jumping is when someone jumps from a fixed point at height. The first known leap from a fixed point was also in Italy. In 1617, Fausto Veranzio leapt from St Mark’s Campanile in Venice.
