German wingsuit flyer dies in Switzerland crash

A German wingsuit flyer has died in an accident in the Swiss Alps, crashing shortly after take-off, a police spokesman told dpa.

The 47-year-old man from Brandenburg had jumped with another German on Friday shortly after 5 pm (1900 GMT) near the eastern Swiss village of Vättis at an altitude of around 2,080 metres.

He was the first to take off, the police in the canton of St. Gallen said, adding that the man's body was recovered by the air rescue service. The public prosecutor's office is now investigating why he crashed.

Wingsuits are bat-like suits in which fabric between the torso, arms and legs is designed to act as wings. Flying in them is considered a dangerous extreme sport. Another 29-year-old man crashed and died during a wingsuit flight attempt in Switzerland on Thursday.