By 3 News online staff
A New Zealander has died in Italy, reportedly as a result of a base jumping accident.
English language Italian newspaper La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno says the accident happened in the northern region of Trentino Alto Adige, and involved a 20-year-old New Zealand man.
He is believed to have been in the area for a month, taking part in the sport daily.
The newspaper says he had jumped from the 1100 metre-high Eagle’s Beak when he got into trouble.
“Some three-quarters of the way down, he sought to open his parachute and hit the rock face violently,” the paper reports.
Base jumping involves free falling from a high, fixed object. Jumpers wear a special suit with wings to help them “fly”, and rely on using a parachute to slow down before landing.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed the death of a New Zealander in Italy, and says the embassy in Rome is liaising with Italian authorities and will be assisting the victim’s family, who are still being notified.
The man is the second New Zealander in two months to die while base jumping overseas.
31-year-old Alan Malcolm McCandish was killed in July during a jump in Switzerland.
3 News