Two skydivers died after their parachutes appeared to become entangled midair during a jump on Italy’s east coast. Their final moments were reportedly captured on video and witnessed by people on the ground.
The fatal incident happened on Sunday, Dec. 14, in Fano — a coastal town in the province of Pesaro Urbino — as 63-year-old Violetta Laiketsion joined friends and skydiving instructor Ermes Zampa, 70, for a group jump, according to news.com.au and Italian outlets L’Unione Sarda and Rimini Today.
The pair jumped from more than 160 feet above the ground near Fano Airport, the outlets reported. As they descended, their parachutes appeared to tangle, and they fell to the ground.
They were part of a group of 14 skydivers jumping that morning, news.com.au reported. Zampa — who had completed more than 2,000 jumps — went first. Laiketsion, described as a former Brazilian athlete with more than 6,000 jumps, went last. According to the outlet, they were less than 100 feet above the ground when they drifted too close to each other.
“Someone at the airfield filmed the incident while the parachutists were descending,” Roberto Mascio, director of Skydive Fano, told news.com.au. He said authorities later confiscated the footage, which he described as showing the parachutes touch before collapsing.
“In that situation, you’re really too close to the ground to make a decision, there’s very little time,” Mascio told news.com.au. “Only a few seconds passed between impact and crash; it was a disaster.”
Loved ones and members of the local skydiving community have been mourning the loss. Rimini Today reported that Zampa lived in Fano with his family and had recently started working as an instructor at the skydiving school. Laiketsion lived in Rimini and was known as a dedicated skydiver who also worked as a videographer, specializing in filming at high altitudes, according to the report.
“I’ve known Violetta and Ermes for a long time,” Mascio told news.com.au. “Seeing what happened is truly painful.”
An investigation is ongoing.
