Australian soldier dies in parachuting accident during military training

SYDNEY: An Australian soldier has died after sustaining injuries in a parachuting accident at a military base in Sydney, the Australian Department of Defense confirmed on Thursday.

Just after 6:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, the accident occurred at a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base in Richmond, approximately 50 kilometers northwest of Sydney’s central business district.

After receiving first aid at the scene, the soldier was taken to a hospital but later succumbed to his injury.

Authorities identified the victim as Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon, son of former Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon.

Speaking at a media conference on Thursday afternoon, Australian Defense Force Acting Special Operations Commander Brigadier James Kidd revealed that members of the Second Commando Regiment have paused their training at the base.

“It is of course too early to speculate about what may have gone wrong in that parachuting incident overnight. It was part of a routine military training exercise that was conducted around the Royal Australian Air Force base there in Richmond,” said Kidd.

The defense department has initiated a formal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

-Xinhua