The tragedy occurred in the north of Italy as two experienced skydivers saw their parachutes intertwined 100ft from the ground in what has shocked a community
Two veteran skydivers plunged to their deaths after their parachutes tangled mid-air. Ermes Zampa, 70, and Violetta Laiketsion, 63, were both pronounced dead at the scene in Fano, near Venice, Italy, on Sunday morning.
Ermes, worked as a skydiving instructor, had more than 30 years experience and over 2,000 jumps under his belt. Violetta, a former athlete from Brazil who lived in Italy, had carried out more than 6,000 jumps.
According to reports, they were part of a group of 14 parachutists jumping that morning. Ermes was the first to jump, and Violetta was last.
The tragedy struck in the final phase, about 100ft from the ground, when their parachutes became tangled and lost all lift completely.
Roberto Mascio, director of Skydive Fano, said: “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;n, 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. They had done countless jumps: Violetta had over 6,000, and Ermes over 2,000, and he was also an instructor.”
The director claimed that the accident may have been caused by human error, a factor that is unfortunately becoming increasingly common within skydiving.
Roberto 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.”
Roberto explained that two years ago, a similar accident occurred with the parachutes intertwining in Reggio Emilia, also involving two instructors, as the unfortunate threat of this is increasing with skydiving.
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.