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.

Featured image credit: Manuel Romano/NurPhoto/Getty

A heartbroken dad has revealed what his daughter said to him before she slipped and fell to her death.Grace Rohloff, 20, lost her life on July 13 while she and her father, Jonathan Rohloff, were hiking at Yosemite National Park, as reported by SFGate.The Arizona-based father-daughter duo were experienced hikers who had climbed up different mountains and obtained a permit to hike the park’s popular Half Dome cables.Unfortunately, the 16-mile hike in a heavy rainstorm resulted in a tragic loss for the father who has now opened up about his heartbreak.Prior to the hike, a ranger had warned the duo of the chance of storms later in the day. But when Grace and Jonathan arrived they were greeted with clear skies so they set off and made it to the top.However, a clap of thunder interrupted their hike. "A black cloud was rolling in like gangbusters,” the dad told the outlet. “I was like, ‘We have got to get down now because we don’t want to be up here with any rain. It rolled in literally out of nowhere.’”The dad recalled that the people in front of them were moving slowly, so he and his daughter were stuck in the cabled area as the storm descended.Grace then quickly learned that her new pair of hiking boots weren’t offering the traction they had promised, telling her dad that her shoes "felt 'slippery'".Trying to keep them both calm, he instructed her: “OK, let’s do one step at a time," but it was at this point that she suddenly slipped.“She just slid off to the side, right by me, down the mountain,” he said. “It happened so fast. I tried to reach my hand up, but she was already gone.”The trail to Half Dome in Yosemite National Park is one of the most famous in the park. Credit: Anacleto Rapping / GettyThe shocked father then moved down the cables as quickly as possible, looking down in the hopes that his child had survived the terrifying drop. “I just wanted to get my daughter,” he told the outlet.He then called 911 and shouted: “Grace, I’m here. I’m not going to leave you. If you can hear my voice, give me a sign. I love you,” but received no response.Jonathan then started to pray for a miracle and was joined by others who asked to pray with him. A park ranger stayed by his side in the horrific weather while waiting for a helicopter to rescue Grace.He later found out that his beloved daughter had suffered a severe head fracture and probably died during the fall, describing the report as "comforting" to know his daughter "didn't have to suffer".Jonathan has praised his daughter as "fearless," adding: "She was an adventurer. We did hikes all throughout Arizona. Grace and I put on thousands of miles hiking,” as cited by NBC Bay Area.He hopes her death will encourage park officials to make the cables safer. “If we can make the cabling system at Yosemite a lot safer for people to see that beautiful piece of God’s earth and not be put in danger then that would be something that she would have wanted,” he shared.A celebration of life for Grace will be held on July 27, according to a Facebook post.Featured image credit: Beata Whitehead / Getty

A base jumper can consider himself very lucky after his parachute didn't open after he jumped from a 120-meter tower - and lived to tell the tale!

Some people - naturally - have a fear of heights meaning that even standing on top of a tall structure can cause dizzying effects and the need to cry.

However, others will defy all fears and force themselves up the tallest points they can find, just to jump off them as they chase an adrenaline rush.

But this video might make some adrenaline junkies think twice after it shows a Russian man jumping from a 120-meter tower and his parachute failing to open.

As he stands atop the great height, it's clear that the young daredevil is feeling anxious about the jump, but he moves towards the edge.

Regardless of the anxiety, he leaps off the tower in Konakova, Russia but his friend is left watching helplessly as he plummets toward the ground with no sign of a parachute.

Miraculously, the man survived the enormous drop as the snow on the ground below appeared to cushion his fall, and according to the Daily Mail, he was up and walking three months later after fracturing his vertebrae, pelvis, and legs.

Base jumping is a high-risk activity. Credit: Bryce Hughes / EyeEm / Alamy

While his injuries were pretty severe, this base jumper can nonetheless count himself incredibly lucky that things didn't go worse for him and he was able to live to tell the tale of what had happened.

Sadly, not everyone is so lucky. As reported by the Guardian, a British base jumper died after his parachute failed to open when holidaying in the south of France.

The group decided to jump from the Bournillon cliff and into the Bourne gorge. An alarm was raised when eyewitnesses did not see a parachute open, and a search was started for the individual.

He was found unconscious and in cardiorespiratory arrest as two rescuers were winched as close as possible to the man, who was dangling from his parachute on the cliffside.

A base jumper in Italy. Credit: Bossemeyer, Klaus / Alamy

He was immediately taken to hospital where he, unfortunately, passed away as a result of his injuries.

It goes without saying - when taking part in high-risk activities, make sure that all safety procedures have been adhered to. However, even with the best safety protocols, there is always room for error or something malfunctioning - so base jumping is definitely not an activity to take part in lightly.

Featured image credit: Petar Dopchev Photography / Alamy

A good parent would do absolutely anything for their children, but rarely does this protective impulse get tested in quite the same way as it did with Brad Lewis, and his son Oscar, earlier this month.

Brad, 42, was playing with his son at a friend's house in Sydney, with Oscar firing Nerf gun bullets at his dad. Some of the ammo missed Brad, going over the balcony, leading the child to chase after them to see where they had gone. When Brad saw him teetering on the railing, about to fall from the first-floor balcony to the cement driveway below, he lunged after him.

They both ended up going over the balcony, but Brad held Oscar close to his chest so he could take the brunt of the fall. Oscar was hospitalised with a fractured skull and a few minor injuries, but has since returned home. His father, however, got it a lot worse. With major head and neck injuries, doctors were reportedly surprised he even made it out alive.

Brad's friend Beau recalled that all Brad said as he drifted out of consciousness following the fall was "Are the kids okay?", and "Don't let me die, mate". Brad is now on a long journey to recovery, which of course means that the medical expenses will pile up.

Fortunately, you can help out by donating to his GoFundMe, set up by his family and friends to raise money for this treatment. In the description, they wrote:

"Brad's recovery will likely take 6-12 months or more. As the days go by, the realisation of this new reality and the financial implications it will have on the family are just beginning to set in.

"Brad's wife, Suz, has taken leave from her new job to care for the family - but the household bills and mortgage repayments keep rolling in.

"And, when Brad does return home, there will be the requirement for in-house care solutions, housework assistance, childcare etc. And, as Brad will be unable to drive for a long period of time, there will still be ongoing travel costs to ferry him to medical appointments and the boys to school and their activities.

"The last thing the Lewis family needs right now is financial stress. We are looking to raise $150,000 to cover as many of these costs as possible for a period of 12 months."

According to a recent update on the GoFundMe, Oscar is now "recovering slowly" from his fractured skull, safely at home. Brad has been moved from Intensive Care to the Head Trauma ward, with plans to undergo various treatments each day, including the removal of the 45 staples placed in his head.

"He has been informed by doctors of an extended hospital stay and long recovery ahead," they wrote, "particular as a result of the fractured C6 vertebra in his neck, broken ribs and most of all the head trauma". So far, just over $60,000 of the $150,000 goal has been raised.

A 19-year-old, who had become a father just six months ago, has tragically been killed by a lightning strike.

Ethan Lawrence (right) with his brother Liam. Credit: GoFundMe

Ethan Lawrence, a Broward County resident, was struck by lightning at approximately 10:24AM local time at Vista View Park, confirmed by the Davie Police Department to PEOPLE.

The incident occurred in Davie, Florida, on Sunday, June 30, just six months after Lawrence welcomed his first child, daughter Emara, with his girlfriend, Andrea.

In the newly released 911 call, a woman told the operator: "I believe someone just got struck by lightning up on the hill. I saw lightning strike and somebody just fell down," according to NBC 6.

"I was leaving and a big thing of lightning came and I have not seen the person get up."

The caller, who was uncertain if the person had been hit due to her position, continued: "I was driving at the bottom of the hill to exit the park and a huge thing of lightning came.

"I saw a guy walking up on the hill and then all of a sudden he was like down. It looked like the lightning was like right on him.

"It looked so scary and he just, the person just went down on the ground," she added.

Davie Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE that authorities discovered an adult male deceased in the park after receiving the 911 call and arriving on the scene.

Lawrence's mother, Lourdes, told WSVN that she had sent her husband, Patrick, to look for their son after noticing his phone's location hadn't changed for hours.

“Then the detectives came over to my car and told me ‘I don’t know if there is any easy way to say this at all, so I’m just going to tell you that unfortunately, your son was running, he was struck by lightning and he didn’t make it,’" Patrick said.

Andrea, Lawrence's girlfriend, expressed her shock and disbelief to WSVN. "I am still trying to process it because of how it happened. In a matter of seconds, he texted me in the morning, ‘Good morning love, I woke up late today.’"

The Lawrence family created a GoFundMe page on Thursday, July 4 to “keep Ethan's memory alive by supporting this scholarship fund.”

Credit: GoFundMe

At the time of writing, the page has raised $10,570 from a target of $30,000.

Part of the page reads: "Liam, who lost his brother, mentor, hero, and best friend, is devastated. Ethan's greatest wish was to see Liam succeed and pursue his dreams, just as he was doing.

"To honor Ethan's memory, we want to ensure that Liam, along with other runners, have the opportunity to achieve their goals and shine brightly, guided by Ethan's spirit."

Featured image credit: GoFundMe