A British man has plummeted 1,300 feet to his death during a fatal base jump in the Dolomites, northeastern Italy.
Mark Andrews, 65, fell to his death down a rock face in Trentino - a picturesque province renowned for its mountains and hiking trails.
Andrews was instantly killed after the horror fall, which took place at a popular spot for base jumping in the Dolomites on Saturday morning (June 3).
At the time of his death, Andrews had been wearing a wingsuit as well as a parachute, though it's unclear whether he was unable to deploy it. Police are currently investigating the circumstances around his fall, News.com.au reported.
Andrews had reportedly gone to the popular site solo. Shortly afterwards a fellow jumper called the emergency services when they saw the tragic accident unfold. The Daily Mail detailed that he died close to where another British base jumper was killed last year.
The retired engineer had been living with his wife in Bucharest, Romania, and often posted clips of his jumps to social media. While he didn't take up the sport until a little later in life, Andrews had completed close to 600 jumps before his death.
After his fall, a mountain rescue helicopter was brought in to recover Andrews' body. He was eventually flown to a hospital close by. A base jumper who knew Andrews told the Daily Mail: "He came to base jumping quite late. He's only been doing it since 2014 but he packed a lot into those nine years. He was fearless and will be missed. He was a regular in Italy at various base-jumping events, but had also base jumped all over the world off bridges and skyscrapers."
He added: "He lived in Moscow for a while and was a drilling engineer but then he moved to Bucharest where his wife is from."
Another jumped stated: "The area where the accident happened is one of the most dangerous and it's considered only for experts as it's quite tricky. It's not a straight forward descent, there are rock and tree ledges for the first 400 meters before it then hits a straight 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) straight down."
"You have to be careful with the wind as well and that's why only experienced professionals jump from that point with others heading to another location about 30km away at Mt Brenta," they continued.
According to the outlet, more than 400 people have died in the last 20 years participating in the extreme sport of base jumping.
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