Skydivers Die After Things Go Wrong Seconds From Ground

Two veteran skydivers with thousands of jumps between them were killed in Italy when their parachutes became entangled just seconds from the ground. Authorities say 70-year-old instructor Ermes Zampa and 63-year-old former Brazilian athlete Violetta Laiketsion died at the scene near Fano, a town south of Venice, on Sunday. They were part of a 14-person group jump that morning. Zampa exited the plane first and Laiketsion last, but their paths fatally converged near the ground, where their parachutes reportedly became tangled and then collapsed about 100 feet above the landing area, reports news.com.au.

Roberto Mascio, director of Skydive Fano, said the incident was captured on video by someone at the airfield and that the footage has been turned over to investigators. "In the footage, you could see the two canopies touching and then collapsing," Mascio said, noting that at such a low altitude "you're really too close to the ground to make a decision, there's very little time." He called the loss "truly painful," adding that he had known both Zampa and Laiketsion for some time.