British Skydiver Plummets To Death In Italy After Base Jumping Accident

A British base jumper has died after his parachute failed to open during an accident in northern Italy. 33-year-old Dylan Morris Roberts was with five of his friends in the popular hiking hotspot known as Happy Birthday in the Italian Alps when he leapt from a height of 800m.

It is thought the experienced skydiver’s parachute failed to open as he hit the side of the mountain after falling for approximately 200m, although local police have also suggested that the father of two may have miscalculated his trajectory. Mountain rescuers were able to recover his body after being called to the scene.

A spokesperson for the police in Brento, northern Italy, said: “We received a call from the mountain rescue services informing us of an accident and a crew was sent to the scene. The body of a British man was recovered and the consulate in Milan was informed. The prosecutor has also been informed and a report will be compiled for the office at a later stage.”

A qualified skydiving instructor, Roberts had previously worked alongside the British Parachute School based at Langar, Nottinghamshire. He had made thousands of jumps in his lifetime and also enjoyed ‘base jumping’, an extreme sport which involves leaping from objects such as bridges, buildings and cliffs and using a parachute to land safely on the ground.

“Some of the happiest memories I have are teaching people to skydive and see the pure happiness painted in the beaming smiles on their faces,” he wrote on Facebook in 2018.

The Foreign Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Italy, and are in contact with local authorities.”