Base jumper survives 260m fall in Australia

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

SYDNEY (AFP) — A base jumper survived a 260-metre fall from the top of an Australian waterfall Sunday after his parachute failed to open properly, an official said.

The man suffered a suspected broken leg and pelvis and internal injuries after his parachute only partially opened before he hit water, a spokeswoman for Emergency Management Queensland said.

"The water would have felt like concrete when he landed," she told national news agency AAP.

The jumper spent three hours being treated at the scene at Wallaman Falls near the eastcoast town of Ingham before being airlifted to hospital.

© 2008 AFP