Two skydivers died on Friday after they collided in midair during an event in Southern California, according to the authorities and the event’s host company.
Deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 11:50 a.m. to reports of an air emergency in a field adjacent to Skydive Elsinore, the authorities said. The company is based in Lake Elsinore, Calif., around 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
The authorities found two people on the ground receiving medical care, said Lt. Deirdre Vickers, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
The people, who have not been identified, were in critical condition and were taken to a hospital in an ambulance, the Riverside County Fire Department said. The skydivers were pronounced dead at the hospital, Lt. Vickers said.
The collision happened during a training camp for women hosted by Skydive Elsinore, according to a company spokesman.
The company said in a statement on social media that the free-fall part of the jump was normal and both skydivers opened their parachutes at the expected altitude, but they collided about 150 feet above the ground. Skydive Elsinore described them as “experienced, licensed skydivers visiting from out of town.”
“The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground,” the company said.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating the collision. Skydive Elsinore said there was no indication of any equipment malfunction.
The company describes itself as the longest-running skydiving operation in North America and has multiple locations across California.
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