A BRITISH tourist has been killed in a base jumping accident in France.
The 34-year-old man, from Newnham, West Northamptonshire, was on holiday with three British friends – one of whom witnessed the horrific accident.
Police have launched an investigation into the tragedy in the Isere department and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region.
It is not yet known whether the accident was a result of technical failure or human error.
The group had reportedly been holidaying in Millau where they had been base jumping – an extreme sport where participants launch themselves off cliffs.
On Tuesday the weather was clear and the group decided to base jump in the Gorges de la Bourne in the picturesque town of Châtelus.
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They threw themselves off the Bournillon cliff.
One of the man’s friends raised the alarm shortly before 7pm after seeing that his friend’s parachute would not open.
A rescue team was then scrambled with two rescuers winched as close as possible to the injured man who was found at the base of a steep cliff.
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Once he was secured he was lowered to a more accessible area to aid the rescuers.
He was then airlifted in a critical condition to Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble Alpes where he tragically died from his injuries.
A police spokesman said: “We are investigating to find out the cause of this accident.
“It appears that the man had possibly opened his parachute and then crashed into a cliff.
“But at present we don’t know exactly what happened.”
The extreme adrenaline sport involves launching from a high fixed point, such as a cliff or building, and going into free-fall.
The jumper then deploys a parachute to slow the descent and land.
Base jumpers carry only one parachute in contrast with skydivers who jump with a main and a reserve parachute.
