Daredevil who jumped to earth from space dies while paragliding
Felix Baumgartner, famous for leaping from a balloon in outer space back to earth, is thought to have died after having a heart attack while paragliding in Italy. The daredevil, 56, reportedly crashed his glider into a hotel pool after feeling unwell, Italian media reported. He would have been killed instantly, first responders said (Picture: AP)
It is believed that Baumgartner went into cardiac arrest mid-air and suffered a heart attack. A woman, believed to be a hotel employee, was also left with neck injuries after being struck by a piece of debris from Baumgartner’s vehicle (Picture: Instagram)
The pool at the Le Mimose holiday village in Porto Sant’Elpidio was busy with families and children when Baumgartner crashed, striking a wooden sculpture. Staff and bystanders tried to help resuscitate him at the scene but to no avail (Picture: Red Bull Stratos)
According to rescue teams, ‘the tragedy could have been much worse’. Moments before his death, the Austrian athlete posted an Instagram Story complaining about the wind off the Adriatic coast. He also posted a selfie almost directly above where he died just days before his death (Picture: REUTERS)
The city’s mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, posted on social media in tribute: 'Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight.’ The former paratrooper caught the globe’s attention when he landed on his feet in Roswell, New Mexico, after jumping from the stratosphere 24 miles above Earth on October 14, 2012 (Picture: Sipa/Shutterstock)
He made history with the highest and fastest free-fall, as well as the highest-ever balloon flight. Baumgartner also broke the sound barrier, becoming the first person to do so unaided by anything other than gravity (Picture: Shutterstock)
Looking back on his meteoric leap, Baumgartner said: ‘When you’re standing on top of the world, you don’t think of records any more, all you think is that you want to come back alive' (Picture: Red Bull/Shutterstock)
