Fatal leap for China base jumper as parachute fails
- Less than a week after landmark building opens two thrill-seekers jump from its roof, but only one walks away
A Chinese base jumper died on Wednesday after jumping from a 66-storey building in the southwestern province of Yunnan, local police said.
The 41-year-old man, identified only by his family name Zheng, was found unconscious on Wednesday morning at the foot of Kunming’s tallest building, less than a week after it opened.
A passer-by alerted the police and Zheng, from Xian in the northwest province of Shaanxi, was taken to hospital and pronounced dead at noon.
According to the Panlong Public Security Bureau in Kunming, Zheng and another man, surnamed Zhang, entered the car park of the 350-metre (1,150ft) Spring City 66 at about 4am and reached the top of the building using the fire escape.
Both men leapt from the building at 6.48am. A video circulating on Chinese social media showed one parachute opening during the jump but did not capture the moment of landing. Police said Zheng’s equipment had failed.