Australian BASE Jumper Killed in French Alps

An Australian BASE jumper was killed in the French Alps on Sunday. Within hours, a French BASE jumper was killed in the south-eastern part of France.

The separate accidents took place in the French Alps. Four people from extreme sports have now been killed in France in August itself. The Australian, who was killed after falling from the 2,600-metre Brevent peak in the Haute-Savoie, was 33 years old. According to rescue workers, the lifeless body of the Aussie man was found "several hundred metres below in a wooded area". It was also suggested that he had probably been killed on impact.

The other man, who was killed within a couple of hours of the previous incident, was a Frenchman. He was reportedly killed after he had hit a rock face on his way down from Mont Granier. The man, recognised as an "extremely experienced" person related to BASE jumping, was 52 years old. He was discovered 200 metres under the ledge he had jumped from. According to one of the rescuers, the experienced campaigner could not get over the second rock face even though he had earlier managed to do so for the first one.

For some strange reasons, these accidents add up to four deaths related to extreme sports in August itself. The other two deaths in the month also took place in the French Alps region. A couple of BASE jumpers, one from France and the other from Switzerland were killed similarly on Aug 6 in the French Pyrenees and the Alps.

There has been a strong speculation in the French media that the reason behind the Australian man's death was "steering problem." Investigation has been launched in both the cases. According to studies, BASE jumping poses greater risks than other extreme sports like skydiving. Four deaths in the same region within a couple of weeks may be alarming for several extreme sports enthusiasts.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au