2 licensed skydivers die midair in California after their parachutes become entangled

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif. (AP) — Two skydivers who were taking part in an organized skydiving event in California were killed after colliding midair and plummeting to the ground.

The accident occurred Friday and involved two licensed, experienced skydivers at Skydive Elsinore, the company said in a statement. The Riverside County Fire Department said the two had suffered traumatic injuries and were taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

Skydive Elsinore says the free fall portion of the dive and the opening of the parachutes was normal, but as they were preparing to land, the two skydivers collided at approximately 150 feet (about 46 meters) above the ground.

“The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground,” Skydive Elsinore said in a statement. They were pronounced dead at the hospital.