Police in the canton of Bern confirmed that a 28-year-old Italian national died in Kandersteg on Friday morning after jumping from the Alpschelehubel wearing a wingsuit .
“Shortly after take-off he got into trouble, for as-yet unknown reasons, and crashed to the ground,” police said in a statement.
Police did not confirm his identity, but Swiss daily Blick named him as Armin S, who lived in Freiburg in south-west Germany.
According to the paper, the man streamed his fatal jump to friends and family on Facebook.
“Today you fly with me,” he says in the video, which was later picked up and broadcast in part by international media.
Armin then pockets the camera and jumps, with his viewers able to hear – but not see – as he flies through the air. After a scream, the video falls silent, reported Blick.
The tragedy is the latest fatal accident in the sport of basejumping this summer.
Just a fortnight ago a Briton and an Italian died in Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland after jumping from cliffs.
The Italian, identified as Uli Emanuele, was also filming his jump, for action camera company GoPro.
Basejumpers typically wear wingsuits as they plunge, reaching speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) before deploying a parachute.
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