Two highly experienced skydivers have been killed in a tragic mid-air accident in Italy after their parachutes became entangled, causing them to plummet to the ground.
The Fatal Jump in Fano
The incident occurred on the morning of December 14 in Fano, located in Italy's Marche region south of Venice. The victims were identified as Ermes Zampa, 70, a skydiving instructor with over 2,000 jumps, and Violetta Laiketsion, 63, a former athlete from Brazil living in Rimini, who had completed more than 6,000 jumps. Together, they had amassed over 8,000 skydives.
They were part of a group of 14 people jumping that day. Reports indicate Ermes was the first to exit the aircraft, with Violetta being the last. The catastrophe unfolded during the final phase of their descent, at an altitude of roughly 100 feet above the ground.
A Catastrophic Tangling of Canopies
Roberto Mascio, director of Skydive Fano, confirmed the details. "Someone at the airfield filmed the incident while the parachutists were descending," he said. "The video was taken by the authorities. In the footage, you could see the two canopies touching and then collapsing."
He described the horrifying lack of time to react. "In that situation, you're really too close to the ground to make a decision, there's very little time. Only a few seconds pass between impact and crash, it was a disaster." Both skydivers were pronounced dead at the scene.
Human Error a Suspected Factor
Mascio, who had known both victims for a long time, expressed his profound sorrow. "Seeing what happened is truly painful," he stated. He suggested the accident was likely caused by human error, a factor he believes is becoming increasingly common in such tragedies.
"Lately, accidents are mainly due to human error," Mascio explained. "All it takes is a moment of distraction, and you don't realise how close you are to another canopy. Then, by the time you realise, you're already too low to do anything." He referenced a similar fatal accident involving two instructors that occurred in Reggio Emilia two years prior.
The local police have launched an investigation, which includes reviewing the video footage and conducting interviews with witnesses. Mascio added that the loss has deeply affected both the local community in Fano and the wider international skydiving community.
