A 33-year-old British man died Wednesday while base jumping in the Italian Dolomites, marking the fourth such fatality in the area this summer. The incident occurred around 10 a.m. local time when the man, wearing a wingsuit, leaped from a cliff edge approximately 6,000 feet high near the Pala di San Lucano, close to Belluno, Italy.

The victim, identified as Mark Andrews, 65, originally from Cornwall, UK was base jumping with two companions, a French national and a German national, who raised the alarm when he failed to arrive at their designated landing site. Local authorities launched a search and rescue operation that lasted over four hours, utilizing drones and a helicopter to locate and recover the body.

Diego Favero of the Agordo-based mountain rescue team told reporters, “It was a difficult operation and it took several hours before we were able to locate and recover the body.” The search effort was aided by GoPro footage provided by the other two base jumpers, which helped rescuers pinpoint the location of the fallen man.

Andrews’ body was discovered in heavy undergrowth about 262 feet from his initial jump point. It was subsequently airlifted to a local mortuary. Authorities plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

The Pala di San Lucano area, known for its towering cliffs and stunning vistas, has become a popular destination for extreme sports enthusiasts, particularly those engaged in base jumping and wingsuit flying.

Favero noted that this was the second base-jumping accident in the region just in September. “There have been four deaths from base jumping this summer alone,” he added, underscoring the dangerous nature of the sport.

Base jumping, an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth, involves parachuting from fixed objects rather than aircraft. Wingsuit flying, often combined with base jumping, uses a special jumpsuit designed to add surface area to the human body, enabling a significant increase in lift.

A base jumper acquainted with Andrews told The Daily Mail, “He started base jumping relatively late, having only taken it up in 2014, but he made the most of those nine years. He was fearless and will be missed. He was a regular in Italy at various base-jumping events, but had also base-jumped all over the world off bridges and skyscrapers.”

Social media posts talk about Andrews leaping off mountains throughout Europe and being associated with the base jumping group, Learn To Base Jump. He had successfully completed over 600 jumps.

Andrews, residing in Romania, reportedly visited the base jumping location alone. The Foreign Office indicated it was in communication with local authorities regarding the incident and was providing support to his family.