Images have emerged from the scene of world-famous skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s tragic paragliding accident at an Italian holiday resort amid claims that he suffered a medical emergency mid-air.
Baumgartner, 56, lost his life at around 4pm local time on Thursday in Italy‘s Porto Sant’Elpidio in the province of Fermo when a flight in a motorised paraglider took a fatal turn.
Horrified tourists and staff at Le Mimose del Club del Sole holiday village were seen crowding Baumgartner as he lay poolside in images courtesy of Corriere Adriatico, the daily newspaper of the Marche region.
Some appeared to be on their knees administering first aid as staff members hurried a spinal board to the scene, fearing the skydiver may have suffered severe injuries.
The Red Bull-sponsored athlete, who gained international recognition in 2012 after he leapt from the edge of space in the world’s most extreme skydive, had moments earlier smashed into a wooden feature near the site’s bustling swimming pool after losing control of the glider.
Several children were playing in the pool as Baumgartner came crashing back to earth and were forced to witness the horrific accident before the pool was evacuated.
A bystander who saw Baumgartner approaching the deck told Corriere della Sera: I was here on the beach, I turned towards Le Mimose and I saw this paraglider fall suddenly. I thought he was going to land, but instead he fell really quickly.’
Emergency responders quickly descended on Le Mimose and attempted to resuscitate Baumgartner, but he was pronounced dead before the arrival of an air ambulance.
Horrified bystanders and staff at Le Mimose del Club del Sole holiday village were seen crowding round a figure believed to be Baumgartner, who was lying poolside
Some appeared to be on their knees administering first aid as staff members hurried a spinal board to the scene, fearing the skydiver may have suffered severe injuries
Felix Baumgartner pictured in 2012 after jumping from space
The Daredevil had been on holiday in Italy. He is pictured here just days before the crash – flying almost directly above where he was killed on Thursday
For reasons still under investigation, the skydiver lost control of the powered hang glider as he soared over the coast.
But several Italian and Austrian media outlets reported he may have suffered a cardiac arrest or other medical emergency while in flight.
A post-mortem examination is underway to determine the cause of death.
An employee at Le Mimose was also injured, reportedly by a piece of debris that struck her when Baumgartner crashed into the wooden hut by the pool. She was taken to hospital for treatment but Le Mimose later told MailOnline she was in good health.
‘With reference to the events of July 17 at Le Mimose Family Resort, we can confirm that the swimming pool area which had been closed by the authorities has now reopened.
‘No guest was involved in the incident, and we can confirm that the employee who was slightly hurt is in good health.’
Baumgartner was holidaying in Fermo with his wife Mihaela Schwartzenberg when the accident occurred.
She was immediately informed of his death and rushed to the scene.
Shortly before his sudden passing, the sports star posted a video on his social media alongside the caption: ‘Too much wind.’
It showed him paragliding in circles over a field, completely unaware of the tragedy that was about to strike.
Baumgartner is also said to have complained that he was feeling ill prior to take-off over Fermo, in Italy’s Marche region.
Local mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, confirmed Baumgartner’s death in a social media post.
‘Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,’ Mr Ciarpella said.
Baumgartner’s mentee, diver Christian Redl, told of the Austrian daredevil’s dedication and passion to his jumps.
‘He was very risk-conscious, a person who put a lot of thought into his jumps,’ he told Kleine Zeitung.
And tragically, just days prior, the 56-year-old posted a selfie almost directly above where he died.
Shortly before his death, the sports star posted a video on his social media of him on his motorised paraglider – which he was flying when the died
It showed him paragliding in circles over a field, completely unaware of the tragedy that was about to strike
Italian local media has reported the daredevil crashed into the pool of the Le Mimose campsite (pictured) after feeling unwell before taking off
Baumgarnter wrote on Saturday, July 12: ‘Flying holiday greetings from Fermo Italy. Where are you vacationing this year?’
He posed in his motorised paraglider, with the coastline below. Chillingly, the properties in the photo are less than two miles from where Baumgarnter plummeted to the ground.
The sports sensation was internationally known for his spectacular jumps. He became particularly famous in 2012 with a jump from the stratosphere in which he set three world records.
Baumgartner dropped jaws after jumped from the edge of space, armed only with a pressure suit, a parachute, and nerves of steel.
He fell to Earth for more than four minutes, during which time he reached dizzying speeds of 843.6mph and broke the sound barrier, before opening his parachute and safely gliding down to land in New Mexico.
For the stratosphere jump that made Baumgartner world famous, the Salzburg native ‘prepared for over 10 years,’ Redl added.
‘He only jumped when he was truly confident.’
Baumgartner was an accomplished skydiver who had completed thousands of jumps before setting his sights on space.
His inspiration was Captain Joe Kittinger, a retired fighter pilot who had jumped to Earth from 102,800ft back in 1960.
Speaking to MailOnline in 2022, he said: ‘As a skydiver, you always want to push the envelope.
‘What Joe accomplished in the 1960s after only 33 skydives – this is what I call a true pioneer.
‘And I had a couple thousand skydives under my belt.
‘You’re always thinking, what more can I do? Go faster? Go higher? It’s always floating out there.’
Baumgartner had previously worked with Red Bull on base jumps, and reached out to them once again with the idea of jumping from space.
‘Because of all the trust I’d built with Red Bull with base jumps, we took on that challenge trying to find the right people,’ he explained.
This included his inspiration, Joe Kittinger, who agreed to help him.
‘Joe made it very clear the first time I met him – I’m interested but I’m only going to support you if you take it seriously. You can’t go from zero to hero. We have to do it the right way.’
The two years that followed involved rigorous planning and testing, which wasn’t always smooth sailing.
‘A lot of people didn’t believe in us, so it took us a while to convince people to come on board,’ Baumgartner said. ‘We had to be really patient.’
Felix Baumgartner of Austria gestures prior to speaking with the media after successfully jumping from a space capsule lifted by a helium balloon in Roswell, N.M., October 14, 2012
In 2012, daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of space, armed only with a pressure suit, a parachute, and nerves of steel
On 14 October 2012, millions of people around the world eagerly tuned in to watch Mr the record-breaking jump from the edge of space, which played out live across 77 TV channels and online
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner is seen after jumping from a transport plane above Dover at the start of his freefall across the English Channel between Dover and Calais, July 31, 2003
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner celebrates after his successful freefall across the English Channel between Dover and Calais, July 31, 2003
Baumgartner had previously worked with Red Bull on base jumps, and reached out to them once again with the idea of jumping from space
The plan was simple – Baumgartner would board the Red Bull Stratos capsule wearing a pressurised suit, before soaring up to the edge of space, guided by a helium balloon.
Once he reached an altitude of 114,829ft (35,000 metres), Baumgartner would open the capsule door and jump, freefalling for four minutes before opening his parachute and gliding to the ground.
While the entire mission would take less than three hours, Baumgartner knew there were several things that could go wrong.
‘It’s a very hostile environment up there. If the suit fails, your blood would start to boil and you’d die in 15 seconds,’ he said.
‘The parachute could malfunction or you could flat spin, which pushes all your blood into your skull. If that happens, at a certain RPM your blood only has one way out – through your eyeballs.’
Following a briefing with a doctor, Baumgartner was told the ‘good news’ – if something went wrong ‘it would only take 15 seconds to die’.
The launch was originally scheduled for 9 October 2012, but was aborted due to adverse weather conditions.
‘The first test got called off, and we only had one spare balloon,’ said Baumgartner. ‘If the second test failed, we would have had to wait another six months to try again.’
Thankfully, Baumgartner woke up on the 14 October to better conditions and felt optimistic for the second launch attempt.
‘You wake up at 2am and go out to mission control, do the weather brief and medical tests,’ he described.
‘They put on my pressure suit and then put me in the capsule. Once the balloon launched, it was a big relief – we were on the way.’
During the 90-minute ascent, several questions were going through Baumgartner’s head.
‘Will we reach jump altitude of 35,000 metres? Can I even open the door? It might be frozen shut?’ he described.
Despite surviving the stunt unscathed, his main concern was whether or not he had hit his key goal – breaking the sound barrier
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of his jump, MailOnline spoke to Baumgartner in 2022, who described his memories of the terrifying stunt – and why he would never attempt it again
Baumgartner was an accomplished skydiver who had completed thousands of jumps before setting his sights to space
Austrian space jumper Felix Baumgartner holds his Laureus Action Sports Award of the Year Award during the 2013 Laureus World Sports Awards, at Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro March 11, 2013
His worries were put to rest, however, when the capsule reached 38,969.3 metres (127,852 feet) and the door opened without a hitch, at which point he knew there was only one way down.
While you might think Baumgartner would be nervous at this point, he explained how he actually felt strangely peaceful.
‘I looked up and the sky was black,’ he said.
‘It was completely silent. All you can hear is yourself breathing. It was very peaceful.’
As much as he wanted to enjoy that moment, Baumgartner didn’t have long – he had already disconnected from the capsule’s oxygen supply, and now relied on an oxygen cannister, which would only last for 15 minutes.
He saluted the capsule’s camera, took one step forwards and jumped.
As he fell back down to Earth, Baumgartner quickly accelerated, going from 0 to 890mph in just 50 seconds and breaking the sound barrier.
His career began at a very young age, after he started skydiving at just 16 years of age
In 1988, he began collaborating with the Red Bull brand, and from the 1990s onwards, he also tried his hand at base jumping, leaping from skyscrapers, natural features, and bridges.
He set several records and 14 world records: In 1999, the Austrian was the first to jump from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and from the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In 2004, he jumped from the Millau Viaduct in France, and in 2006, from the Turning Torso skyscraper in Sweden.
Then in 2007, Baumgartner became the first to jump from Taipei 101, which resulted in him being banned from entering the country.
In 2003 he became the first man to fly across the English Channel in a wingsuit.