A HUNGARIAN wingsuit flier was found dead after he plunged into a valley in Central China’s Hunan Province during a trial flight Tuesday, rescuers confirmed yesterday.

    Victor Kovats plunged into a valley at around 3 p.m. in Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Zhangjiajie City during a trial jump as his parachute failed to deploy before landing.

    He was reported missing before rescuers confirmed his death yesterday morning, who retrieved his body at the foot of a cliff that is 100 meters high. The cause of the fatal jump is still being investigated.

    Kovats was in China to attend the Second World Wingsuit Championship, scheduled to be held at the park from tomorrow to Sunday. Competitors are required to jump about 700 meters from the steep cliffs of Tianmen Mountain.

    The First World Wingsuit Championship was held at Tianmen Mountain last year with the participation of 15 fliers from nine countries.

    Wingsuit flying is the sport of flying the human body through the air using a special jumpsuit, called a wingsuit, which adds surface area to the human body to enable a significant increase in lift. Since it first appeared in the late 1990s, wingsuit flying has been regarded as an extreme sport with high risk.(SD-Agencies)