The world of extreme sports is mourning the loss of Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner, who died Thursday at the age of 56 following a paragliding accident in Italy. Multiple news outlets have confirmed the tragic event.
According to reports from the Italian news agency Ansa, the incident occurred in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy, where Baumgartner lost control of his paraglider and subsequently fell into a swimming pool within a residential complex. A young girl sustained injuries during the incident as well.
Baumgartner gained international renown for his spectacular base jumps from iconic structures, including the Millau Viaduct and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. However, he achieved unparalleled fame in 2012 with his record-breaking stratospheric jump. That extraordinary feat involved leaping from a height of nearly 39 kilometers (24 miles), marking the highest ever paragliding jump and encompassing the deepest freefall. During the jump, Baumgartner reached an unprecedented, unassisted speed of 1,357 kilometers per hour (843 mph) during his freefall.
