Skydivers plunge to their death after parachutes tangled in mid-air
Ermes Zampa, 70, and Violetta Laiketsion, 63, were seasoned skydivers who tragically lost their lives when their parachutes became entangled while falling.
The incident happened in Fano, just south of Venice, on December 14, and both men died right at the crash site. Ermes had skydived for more than thirty years, completing over 2,000 jumps and also teaching others how to jump. Violetta, a former athlete from Brazil who had settled in Italy, had logged in excess of 6,000 jumps.
They were among a group of fourteen parachutists that took off earlier that morning; Ermes opened the skydiving session, while Violetta was the last to jump.
Around thirty metres above the ground, their canopies tangled and quickly lost lift, leaving them with only seconds to react.
Skydive Fano’s director, Roberto Maccio, said: “Someone at the airfield filmed the incident while the parachutists were descending.
“The video was taken by the authorities.” He added that the footage clearly shows the two canopies touching and 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.” Maccio also expressed deep sorrow, noting how familiar he was with both jumpers and emphasizing that they had performed countless jumps—over 6,000 for Violetta and more than 2,000 for Ermes, who also served as an instructor.
He warned that human error is increasingly common in skydiving accidents, citing a similar event two years ago in Reggio Emilia that also involved two instructors. “This loss deeply affects the Fano community and the broader skydiving world.”
The police are reviewing the footage and interviewing witnesses as the investigation proceeds.
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