Pangandaran, W. Java. A parachuting training session off the coast of Pangandaran in West Java turned fatal after sudden bad weather caused several athletes to lose control midair, leaving one athlete dead and another still missing, authorities said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred during a training exercise for a regional championship and qualifying round for the West Java Provincial Sports Week (Porprov). Five parachuting athletes took off from Nusawiru Airport in Cijulang aboard a Cessna 185 training aircraft operated by Ganesha Fly School.

After jumping from an altitude of about 10,000 feet, the weather deteriorated rapidly, with strong and shifting winds disrupting the athletes’ descent and pushing some off course toward the sea.

Three of the athletes managed to make emergency landings on Bojongsalawe Beach and were reported safe. However, two others fell into the water. One athlete was later found dead, while the other remains missing.

Amateur video recorded by local fishermen showed the body of a parachutist floating in waters off Bojongsalawe, Karangjaladri village, Parigi district, Pangandaran regency. Authorities said the parachute recovered at the scene is believed to belong to Rusli, an athlete from Bandung.

Local fisherman Dadang Hidayat said he witnessed two parachutists descending rapidly into the sea.

“I was watching from the moment they jumped. One fell into the water first, very fast, and another followed shortly after. When we tried to reach them, they had already sunk,” he said.

Pangandaran Police Chief AKBP Andri Kurniawan confirmed the incident, saying the deceased athlete was evacuated to Pandega Regional Hospital for further examination.

“We received a report from the event organizers that today’s parachuting activity resulted in one fatality and one person still missing,” Andri said. “A joint team is continuing the search for the remaining victim.”

Search and rescue operations are being carried out by a combined team from Pangandaran police, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the military and volunteers, using both sea and aerial patrols to scour the area.

All parachuting training activities in Pangandaran have been temporarily suspended pending the investigation and for safety reasons, authorities said.

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