Base jumpers Killed In French Alps: Horrifying Accidents Kill Two Men
Base jumpers killed in the French Alps on August 17, 2014 were a 52-year-old Frenchman and a 33-year-old Australian man. The two men died over the weekend in separate incidents. Both men lost their lives on Sunday. Sadly, these two base jumpers killed in the French Alps were not the only such fatalities reported in the month of August.
In total, four souls have been lost to the deadly sport this month alone, and the month is barely two-thirds over. The other two base jumpers killed in August died in Switzerland and France, in the Swiss Alps and the French Pyrenees respectively.
According to BBC News, officials have launched an investigation into the deaths of the two base jumpers killed in the French Alps. The man from France reportedly struck a rock face on his descent from Mount Granier, which is located in close proximity to Val d’Isere, a popular ski resort town. He was described as an experienced base jumper. Rescuers believe he avoided one rock face only to crash into another.
The Australian was wearing a wing suit at the time of his demise. His lifeless body was discovered in a wooded area hundreds of feet beneath 8,500-foot Brevent peak in the Haute-Savoie region near Chamonix. Rescuers believe that the 33-year-old base jumper was killed on impact, reported The Guardian.
In light of the two base jumpers killed in the French Alps, Sydney Morning Herald reported, Australian BASE Association president Gary Cunningham said it’s illegal to undertake base jumps in Australia, so participants in the sport are not getting enough practice, therefore their techniques and safety precautions are not “as good they could be.”
Base jumping is also known as BASE jumping, and it is also sometimes written as B.A.S.E. jumping. The acronym stands for building, antenna, span, and Earth, which are the four locations from which a participant may jump.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, another base jumper died earlier this year during her honeymoon. Amber Bellows was just 28 when was killed while jumping off the 7,276-foot peak of Mount Kinesava. She and her husband were experienced jumpers, but her experience couldn’t save her when her parachute malfunctioned. Amber Bellows and Clayton Butler were married for just three weeks at the time of the tragic accident.
[Image of French Alps via PBS]
