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A “fearless” British base jumper has died after leaping off an Italian mountaintop and plummeting to his death.

Mark Andrews, 65, originally of Redruth, Cornwall, plunged more than 400 metres down a rock face in Trentino, Italy, while wearing a wing suit.

Mr Andrews – who was a latecomer to the extreme sport – had reportedly gone alone to the popular site and although he was wearing a parachute it is unclear if he was able to deploy it.

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Police are now trying to establish the exact circumstances of the horrific accident which took place yesterday morning (Saturday, June 3) at the well known base jumping spot in the Italian Dolomites at Paganella which is near the city of Trento.

Italian media says that another British base jumper died at the same location on the same day last year.

Despite coming to the sport later in life, Mr Andrews, who had been living in Bucharest, Romania, with his wife, had completed nearly 600 jumps and often posted footage online.

A mountain rescue helicopter recovered his body and flew it to a nearby hospital for repatriation.

A fellow base jumper who knew Mr Andrews said he packed a lot into his time whilst loving the sport.

He said: “He came to base jumping quite late.

“He's only been doing it since 2014 but he packed a lot into those nine years. He was fearless and will be missed.

“He was a regular in Italy at various base-jumping events, but had also base jumped all over the world off bridges and skyscrapers.

“He lived in Moscow for and was a drilling engineer but then he moved to Bucharest where his wife is from.”

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Another said: “The area where the accident happened is one of the most dangerous and it's considered only for experts as it's quite tricky.

“It's not a straightforward descent, there are rock and tree ledges for the first 400 metres before it then hits a straight 1500 metres straight down.

“You have to be careful with the wind as well and that's why only experienced professionals jump from that point with others heading to another location about 30km away at Mt Brenta.”

Mr Andrews’s Instagram shows him launching off mountain tops in countries across Europe.

The Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with local police following the death of a British man in Italy and are supporting his family."

• Injuries
• The Inside Track – Sport

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