A British base jumper has died after diving 400 meters from the top of a mountain in Italy.
Mark Andrews, 65, from Redruth, Cornwall, was killed instantly after falling on the rock face in Trentino while wearing a wingsuit.
It is believed he was carrying a parachute, but it is unclear if he was unable to deploy it, while police said the exact circumstances are under investigation.
The tragic accident happened on Saturday morning at a popular base jumping site in the Italian Dolomites at Paganella, near the city of Trento.
Mr Andrews reportedly drove to the site alone, before another base jumper called the emergency services after seeing the horrific incident unfold.
It is understood that Mr Andrews died near where another British paratrooper perished exactly a year before.
Despite being a latecomer to the sport, Mr Andrews had completed over 600 jumps. (learntobasejump Instagram)
Mark Andrews (middle photo) with members of the base jumping group, Learn To Base Jump
The tragic accident happened on Saturday morning at a popular base jump site in the Italian Dolomites at Paganella, near the city of Trento.
Mr Andrews, who lived in Bucharest, Romania, with his wife, was an avid base jumper and often posted clips of his escapades.
He had also lived in Russia.
The 65-year-old retired engineer is said to have been a relatively latecomer to base jumping as a sport, but completed nearly 600 jumps before his death.
A mountain rescue helicopter was brought in to collect his body and he was then airlifted to a nearby hospital to await repatriation.
A base jumper who knew Mark said: “He came to base jumping quite late. He’s only been doing it since 2014, but he’s accumulated a lot in 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 from bridges and skyscrapers.
“He lived in Moscow and was a drilling engineer, but then moved to Bucharest, where his wife is from.”
Mr Andrews, from Redruth in Cornwall, recently resided in Moscow, according to his Facebook profile
Police say Mr Andrews was living in the Romanian capital of Bucharest with his wife
Mr Andrews, who lived in Bucharest, Romania, with his wife, was an avid base jumper and often posted clips of his escapades. He is pictured during a previous jump
Another base jumper said: “The area where the accident happened is one of the most dangerous and it is only considered for experts as it is quite tricky.”
“It’s not a straight downhill, there are ledges of rocks and trees for the first 400m before then reaching a 1500m straight.
“You also have to be careful of the wind and that’s why only experienced professionals jump from this point with others heading to another location about 30km from Mount Brenta.”
Clips on his Instagram show the daredevil leaping from impressive mountain peaks in countries across Europe; including Norway, Italy and Russia.
He was affiliated with the base jumping group, Lean To Base Jump.
A person who answered the phone at their Swiss headquarters confirmed that they knew Mark but would not discuss the accident.
The Foreign Office told MailOnline: ‘We are in contact with local police following the death of a Briton in Italy and are supporting his family.
Dylan Morris Roberts, 33, (pictured), died instantly after hitting a ravine off Mount Cimone on June 2, 2022
BASE jumping consists of jumping from fixed objects and using a parachute to descend to the ground and its supports for buildings, antenna, spans (bridges) and earth (cliffs).
Extreme sport has killed more than 400 people over the past twenty years.
According to Italian media, another British base rider perished near where Mr Andrews died on the same day last year.
Dylan Morris Roberts, 33, died instantly after hitting a ravine off Mount Cimone on June 2, 2022. He was killed after jumping from an 800m ledge known as ‘Happy Birthday’ on the 1500m Monte Brento in the Trentino region of northern Italy.
It is understood that the professional base jumper’s parachute did not open and his friends believed he may have miscalculated his trajectory.
Onlookers said he fell 200m and appeared to hit the side of the mountain after takeoff and his body was recovered by mountain rescue teams.
The 33-year-old was an expert skydiver who had performed dozens of jumps and was also a former instructor at British parachute schools.
He had combined his love for skydiving with the extreme sport of base jumping.
