Two skydivers die after falling from plane in Australia

SYDNEY: A skydiving instructor and their customer died Sunday (Jun 27) after falling from a plane before a tandem jump in Australia.

Police said two people died in the accident at Goulburn, about two hours' drive southwest of Sydney, after the aircraft began experiencing "difficulty".

"Two parachutists fell from the aircraft and landed near the runway of the airport. They were located unresponsive and unable to be revived," police said in a statement.

Scott Marshall, from Adrenaline Skydive Goulburn, told The Daily Telegraph newspaper it was a "horrible day" for all those impacted by the tragedy.

"Sadly, a tandem master and passenger lost their lives. My heart goes out to their families," he said.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, police said emergency services were called at about 12.50pm local time.

“The instructor had over 2,500 skydives, safety is paramount here and it was not a result of anything that the instructor did. It was one of those freak occurrences," the newspaper quoted Marshall as saying.

“The younger man, from what I heard, was really looking forward to it, I was talking to his mates and they said he really loved the adrenaline.”

The incident will be investigated by police and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The Australian parachute federation will also conduct their own investigation, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.