Inquiry into fatal bungee accident

Police believe the harness snapped

Police and health and safety experts are continuing their inquiries into the death of a 22-year-old man killed in a charity bungee jump in Swansea.

South Wales Police believe Christopher Thomas' safety harness snapped moments after he leapt from a 180ft-high crane.

Eyewitnesses said Mr Thomas, who was from Cardiff, had initially appeared nervous about making the jump, but then seemed to pluck up enough courage to leap.

As he did so, the harness appeared to slip from his ankles.

He was critically injured in the accident at 1330 BST on Monday and later died in hospital.

Something obviously went wrong and he fell from quite a height onto the ground

Pub landlady Diane Connor

Hundreds of onlookers watched on as the man fell to the ground in the car park of the Old Barn Inn and Restaurant at Mynydd Gelliwastad in Swansea.

He was rushed to nearby Morriston Hospital with head and spinal injuries - and was treated in the very unit the event had been raising money for.

A police spokesman said investigations were continuing into the cause of the accident.

Council staff removed the bungee jumping equipment for examination and the area around the pub remained sealed off on Tuesday as police and health and safety officers continued investigations.

The sport has become popular in the last decade

Several people were seen making the jump without any problems before Mr Thomas.

It is understood that Mr Thomas had been involved in organising the event, and was a last-minute addition to the series of jumpers.

Pub landlady Diane Connor said: "The man was not the first to go - at least 10 had gone before him.

The event was organised to raise funds

"But something obviously went wrong and he fell from quite a height onto the ground.

"There were hundreds of people here. It was a family day and there were a lot of children running around. Everyone was shocked and upset."

Another spectator, Christine Edwards, who was at the event with her six-year-old daughter, said the organisers had previously tested the rope by sending down some weighted bags.

One of the officials then made a test leap himself.

Popularity

She said a large man stepped out of the cage to make his leap, but he seemed to be very nervous and twice went back inside before plucking up the courage to jump.

Bungee jumping first became popular in the UK in 1990, having previously been popular in Australia and New Zealand.

It is banned in some countries and some states of the USA.

Andrew Bellamy, director of corporate development at Swansea NHS Trust, said : "We are devastated that such a tragic accident should occur during an event which was taking place to raise funds for the trust.

Counselling

"Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family."

Swansea-based AM Alan Cairns has written to Health Minister Jane Hutt asking that counselling be offered to those who witnessed the accident - particularly the many children who were in the crowd.

Mr Cairns - the Conservative AM for South Wales West, which includes Swansea - said he hoped the ongoing inquiry would quickly discover what had gone wrong.

"There will, no doubt, be lessons to be learned from this," he said.

"It is important that this kind of thing never happens again."

Swansea councillor Bob Lloyd said the tragic end to the fundraiser had shocked and saddened everyone in the area.

"For it to end in such a tragic way has knocked the community tremendously," he said.