A 65-year-old woman from Putte (Antwerp Province) was killed as a result of a tandem skydive in Diest (Flemish Brabant) going wrong the Leuven public prosecutor's office has confirmed. The accident happened during a joint parachute jump when the woman was attached to an instructor. The woman's 30-year-old instructor was taken to hospital with serious injuries and is fighting for his life.
Home News
Tandem skydive goes wrong: pensioner dies, instructor fights for his life
Colin Clapson
Published:
The accident happened in Schaffen (Diest) on Sunday afternoon. It’s understood the parachute used suddenly snapped shut about 10 metres above the ground. Witnesses suggest this occurred during a violent gust of wind.
Diest mayor Christophe De Graef says the instructor was "a very experienced young man".
"The jump was something the lady in question absolutely wanted to do," De Graef notes. "It was on her bucket list. Her family also went up in the air with her. It is a very unfortunate accident."
The public prosecutor's office is now investigating the case. Lab technicians attended the scene, along with a police doctor and a parachute expert. According to the prosecutor's office, at the minute everything points to an unfortunate accident.