By Ashraf Abdul Wahab and Seraj Essul.
Tripoli, 1 March 2014:
The captain of the national parachuting team died in a tragic accident in Morocco yesterday during a team practice jump as part of the fifth Arab and first African parachuting tournament.
Team captain Salem Bu Harrara lost consciousness after colliding with a fellow team member during a 9,000 feet jump, spokesperson for the Libyan Union of Air Sports Wa’el Al-Ashaidi told the Libya Herald.
“His parachute opened automatically but, because he was unconscious, he didn’t land in the proper way,” Ahaidi said. Jumpers should land feet-first, he said, but instead Harrara’s head hit rocky ground first, causing a serious head injury. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
As well as being team captain, Harrara was a paratrooper in the Benghazi Special Forces.
Today the president of the Libyan Union of Air Sports, Ali Hnaish, flew to Morocco to bring Harrara’s body back to Libya in a private plane. He will be buried in his home-town of Beida. [/restrict]