Base jumper killed after hitting cliff in Swiss Alps

An American base jumper has died in the Swiss Alps after hitting a cliff and falling into a gorge.

The 44-year-old man died on Friday after he misjudged his launch and hit the cliff, falling hundreds of feet below, AP reports.

Police said he had jumped from the 9,514ft Sex Rouge peak in Les Diablerets range near Lake Geneva.

The man was not named but police said he was from Dallas.

Spokesman Jean-Christophe Sauterel said he was an experienced base jumper who was using a wing suit during the jump.

Rescuers have not been able to recover his body because of poor weather conditions.

Wing suits allow base jumpers to glide down rather than fall before engaging their parachute.

Earlier this year, a TV chef died during a wingsuit jump after his parachute failed to open.

Spanish chef Dario Barrio, 42, was taking part in the International Air Festival in Jaén Province, Spain, when the accident happened.

The father-of-two had planned to jump from a castle in the Sierra de Segura mountain range as part of a tribute to his friend Álvaro Bultó, a Spanish base jumper who died last August in the Swiss Alps during a jump.

A horrifying video uploaded to YouTube showed Dario's final moments as he crashed into a cliff face.

Emergency services rushed to the scene, but were unable to save him.

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