Two Die Skydiving: Tragic Accident in Florida as 2 Skydivers Die In Jump
Two people have died skydiving in Florida on Saturday, according to local media sources.
It is believed that the two skydivers were from Iceland and that one was an instructor, and the other was a skydiving student.
The two men were taking part in a skydive as part of a group of 22 divers, who jumped from a plane in Zephryhills, which is about 30 miles northeast of Tampa, according to the Tampa Tribune newspaper.
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However, even though 22 skydivers jumped from the plane, only 20 were accounted for when they landed.
An emergency search was immediately launched to find the two missing skydivers and they were eventually found hours later. They had died from the fall.
Although early reports have not confirmed the reason the two men's skydive went wrong, authorities have stated that they believe the two men were from Iceland.
Skydive City, which operated the jump for the 22 skydivers also confirmed that the men were from Iceland, but it did not release the identities of the two deceased men.
Parachuting, or skydiving, is the action sport of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of gravity while using a parachute to slow down during the terminal part of the descent. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal velocity. The history of skydiving starts with Andre-Jacques Garnerin who made successful descents using a canvas canopy and small basket, tethered beneath a hot-air balloon. The first intentional freefall jump with a ripcord-operated deployment is credited to Leslie Irvin in 1919
