Two experienced skydivers have plunged to their deaths after their parachutes tangled in mid-air.
Ermes Zampa, 70, and Violetta Laiketsion, 63, both died at the scene.
Ermes had been skydiving for over 30 years and had over 2,000 jumps under his belt.
He also worked as a skydiving instructor.
Violetta, a former athlete from Brazil who lived in Italy, had carried out over 6,000 jumps.
The pair died in Fano, located south of Venice, Italy, on December 14.
According to reports, the victims were part of a group of 14 parachutists jumping that morning.
Ermes was the first to jump, and Violetta was last, but in the final phase, about 30 meters from the ground, their parachutes became tangled and lost all lift.
Roberto Mascio, director of Skydive Fano, said: “Someone at the airfield filmed the incident while the parachutists were descending.
“The video was taken by the authorities,” Mascio said.
“In the footage, you could see the two canopies touching and then collapsing.
“In that situation, you’re really too close to the ground to make a decision, there’s very little time.
“Only a few seconds passed between impact and crash; it was a disaster.”
He added, “I’ve known Violetta and Ermes for a long time; seeing what happened is truly painful.
“They had done countless jumps: Violetta had over 6,000, and Ermes over 2,000, and he was also an instructor.”
Mascio said the accident may have been caused by human error, a factor that is becoming increasingly common.
He said: “Lately, accidents are mainly due to human error; all it takes is a moment of distraction, and you don’t realise how close you are to another canopy.
“Then, by the time you realize, you’re already too low to do anything.
“Two years ago, a similar accident occurred in Reggio Emilia, also involving two instructors.”
He added, “This is a loss that deeply affects the community of Fano and the skydiving community.”
The police are reviewing the video footage and carrying out interviews with witnesses as the investigation continues.
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