Swedish base-jumper dies in Norway
A Swedish man died on Friday after base-jumping from a mountain in Norway, although the exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear.
The man, who is believed to be Swedish according to Norwegian media, died after base-jumping from the Kjerag mountain east of Stavanger in southern Norway.
“The jumper was a Swedish man in his forties,” explained Stein Edvartsen, head of Stavanger Base Club, to the national Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
“He has been jumping for a couple of years and jumped from Kjerag last year too, so he was familiar with the area.”
Police however, were unwilling to divulge any information other than that the body was not officially identified.
“A driver’s license has been found,” said Geir Gjesdal of the local police in Rogaland to the TT news agency.
It remains unknown exactly how the man died, although the base jump camp spokesperson has his suspicions.
“Weather conditions were fine today, so most likely it is the equipment that has failed,” Edvartsen told the paper, adding that there were some 15-20 jumpers on the mountain at the time.
Helicopters and an alpine rescue team recovered the man’s body, which was taken to the Stavanger University hospital in the early afternoon.
The formal identification and autopsy will be done next week.
Base jumping is an activity where participants jump from a great height from a fixed object, such as a cliff, building, or bridge, and use a parachute to break their fall.
TT/The Local/og
Comments
See Also
The man, who is believed to be Swedish according to Norwegian media, died after base-jumping from the Kjerag mountain east of Stavanger in southern Norway.
“The jumper was a Swedish man in his forties,” explained Stein Edvartsen, head of Stavanger Base Club, to the national Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
“He has been jumping for a couple of years and jumped from Kjerag last year too, so he was familiar with the area.”
Police however, were unwilling to divulge any information other than that the body was not officially identified.
“A driver’s license has been found,” said Geir Gjesdal of the local police in Rogaland to the TT news agency.
It remains unknown exactly how the man died, although the base jump camp spokesperson has his suspicions.
“Weather conditions were fine today, so most likely it is the equipment that has failed,” Edvartsen told the paper, adding that there were some 15-20 jumpers on the mountain at the time.
Helicopters and an alpine rescue team recovered the man’s body, which was taken to the Stavanger University hospital in the early afternoon.
The formal identification and autopsy will be done next week.
Base jumping is an activity where participants jump from a great height from a fixed object, such as a cliff, building, or bridge, and use a parachute to break their fall.
TT/The Local/og
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.