Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from edge of space, dies paragliding

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Link: Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from edge of space, dies paragliding - BBC News

 

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Felix Baumgartner, who once broke the world record for the highest skydive by jumping from the edge of space, has died in a motorised paragliding accident in Italy.

 

The 56-year-old fell to the ground near the swimming pool of a hotel while flying over the village of Porto Sant'Elpidio in the eastern Marche region.

 

Porto Sant'Elpidio's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, said reports suggested he may have suffered a sudden medical issue mid-air.

 

The Austrian daredevil made headlines in 2012 when he broke the world record - and the sound barrier - for the highest-ever skydive, jumping from a balloon more than 39km (128,000 ft) up in the stratosphere.

 

Baumgartner was described as "a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flights", by Mayor Ciarpella who offered the town's condolences for his death.

 

Fans have left their own tributes beneath one of the skydiver's final social media posts, a video of him working on the motor of his paraglider.

 

Another post from around 14:30 local time (13:30 BST) bore the text "too much wind" and featured a picture of a full windsock against a cloudy sky.

 

The extreme sportsman was known as "Fearless Felix" for his adventurous stunts...