Two skydivers die after midair collision in California

Two skydivers died after colliding in midair during an organized event at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, California, on Friday. Riverside County Fire Department crews responded to the reported collision and took both jumpers to a hospital with critical injuries. Both later died there.

Skydive Elsinore said the jumpers’ initial free fall and parachute openings went as planned. As they prepared to land, they collided about 150 feet above the ground, the company said. The collision entangled their parachutes, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground, according to the company’s statement.

The fire department said the two had suffered traumatic injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital. The department reported the collision at 11:50 a.m. Friday over Skydive Elsinore. The jumpers’ names had not been released in the reports, and the cause of the collision has not been established.

Skydive Elsinore described the jumpers as licensed and experienced. That account of their qualifications and the jump sequence came from the company. The reports do not establish what led the pair to collide, or whether any specific maneuver or other factor was involved.