Wednesday, 05 October 2016 16:31

Chamonix officials concerned after 5th wingsuit death this year

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Officials in Chamonix have expressed concern over the number of wingsuit deaths this year after a fifth death.

 

Chamonix Wingsuit 1

Photo: Wingsuit flyer at the Aiguille du Midi (from stock)

Speaking to local TV channel France 3 deputy mayor Jean-Louis Verdier said "Wingsuiting is still a new sport that is growing in popularity, those who do it still haven't mastered it.  He crashed into a wall, but he could have hit people or a car," he added.   “We still don't understand exactly what happened, which worries us greatly. We are thinking about how to avoid this kind of accident going forward. What worries us is putting others’ lives in danger,”

35 people have died globally in wingsuit accidents in the last year with Chamonix accounting for 5 deaths from 2,000 registered jumps. France has had a total of 8 wingsuit related deaths nationally this year.

Update: It is now being reported that the Mayor of Chamonix, Eric Fournier, has announced a ban on wingsuit flying, saying "We can't consider that flying over inhabited zones is something that's normal, when they're putting residents at risk,".