Parachutist dies after crash-landing in County Durham housing estate

A female parachutist has died after crashing into a housing estate in County Durham when her chute failed to open.

The 49-year-old woman reportedly crash-landed in Shotton Colliery and was found in a cul-de-sac close to the airfield where her plane took off.

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Durham Police said the parachutist, from Hebburn, South Tyneside, had performed a jump before, but not in the UK.

She was airlifted to the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough by the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

Horrified witnesses told the Daily Mail that she was "flopping like a rag doll" after she landed by the side of a car at around 4pm on Saturday.

Ian Rosenvinge, manager of the Peterlee Parachute Centre, told the newspaper that she would have jumped from around 15,000 feet.

Residents carried out CPR on the woman before paramedics arrived.

One witness said it appeared she was unconscious before she hit the car and that "she was not screaming".

Speaking to the BBC, Detective Inspector Dave Cuthbert said: "This is a tragic incident. The lady who has died was using her own equipment and was making her first sky-dive in this country, having previously made parachute jumps abroad.

"We will be working with the HSE and the British Parachuting Association to establish why this tragedy happened."

A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out on the woman's body.