TWO experienced skydivers have plunged to their deaths after their parachutes tangled in mid-air.
Ermes Zampa, 70, and Violetta Laiketsion, 63, were part of a group of parachutists jumping yesterday morning when their decline went catastrophically wrong.
Ermes, a skydiving instructor, had over 2,000 jumps under his belt after 30 years experience in the sport.
Violetta, a former athlete from Brazil who lived in Italy, had carried out over 6,000 jumps.
The pair were pronounced dead at the scene in Fano, south of Venice, Italy, yesterday morning.
According to reports, the victims were part of a group of 14 parachutists jumping that morning.
Ermes was the first to jump, and Violetta was last, as reported by NeedToKnow.
But about 100ft from the ground, their parachutes became tangled and lost all lift.
Roberto Mascio, director of Skydive Fano, told Jam Press: “Someone at the airfield filmed the incident while the parachutists were descending.
“The video was taken by the authorities.
“In the footage, you could see the two canopies touching and then collapsing.
“In that situation, you’re really too close to the ground to make a decision, there’s very little time.
“Only a few seconds passed between impact and crash; it was a disaster.
“I’ve known Violetta and Ermes for a long time; seeing what happened is truly painful.”
Roberto said the accident may have been caused by human error, a factor that is becoming increasingly common.
He said: “Lately, accidents are mainly due to human error; all it takes is a moment of distraction, and you don’t realise how close you are to another canopy.
“Then, by the time you realise, you’re already too low to do anything.
“Two years ago, a similar accident occurred in Reggio Emilia, also involving two instructors.”
He added, “This is a loss that deeply affects the community of Fano and the skydiving community.”
The police are reviewing the video footage and carrying out interviews with witnesses as the investigation continues.
This comes just weeks after another experienced skydiver died in a horrific accident in Longmont, Colorado, after his parachute didn’t fully open.
Takashi Koyama, 60, was undertaking a solo jump when he was seen hurtling towards the ground.
The experienced skydiver was fully qualified to skydive alone.
Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BSCO) confirmed that they had responded to a call about an unresponsive skydiver in the area.
BSCO said: “A witness at the landing site across the street had observed the parachuter a few hundred feet above the ground descending quickly, in a spin and it appeared his parachute was not fully open.”
The authority have opened an investigation into the accident.
Takashi Koyama’s devastated son Shizuka Koyama paid tribute to the “remarkable man”.
He asked for “any support, no matter how small” to “help me fulfil my father’s final wish and ease the weight of these expenses”.
