British tourist dies following base jumping accident in France as friends watched on

His friends could only watch

A British tourist has been killed in a base-jumping accident with friends in France, with initial investigations unclear on whether it was human error or a mechanical fault. The unnamed 34-year-old from Newnham, West Northamptonshire, died in Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble Alpes following the accident in the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region. He had been holidaying with a group of friends in Millau and had checked the weather on March 22 before choosing to base jump. [caption id="attachment_325168" align="alignnone" width="984"]

Via Getty[/caption] As reported in Mail Online, a police spokesman said: "We are investigating to find out the cause of this accident. "It appears that the man had possibly opened his parachute and then crashed into a cliff. "But at present we don't know exactly what happened." Base jumping is widely considered an extreme sport, which usually entails launching yourself off a fixed point only to free-fall before parachuting to safety. [caption id="attachment_325173" align="alignnone" width="796"]

Via Getty[/caption] Shortly before 7pm, one of the man's friends alerted authorities after watching him fail to launch his parachute after jumping from Bournillon cliff. Rescuers reportedly found it difficult to secure the injured man, who was found in critical condition at the base of the steep mountain. Two officers were able to fasten him securely, at which point he was lowered to a more accessible opening to be airlifted to hospital. More details are expected to follow.