Two skydivers taking part in an international event in Australia were sent plummeting towards the ground after their parachutes became entangled.
Video footage shows the two members of the Qatar team struggling desperately to separate at the World Parachuting Championships on Australia’s Gold Coast.
The skydiving squad were attempting a complex, four-man manoeuvre at 6,500 ft during Saturday’s routine.
But two men were sent spiralling to the ground – toiling in freefall for 26 seconds – after getting tangled up in each other’s parachute cords.
Despite the high winds, the duo were finally able to cut themselves free of each other before shortly reaching the ground, surviving the ordeal unharmed.
Coach Mikael Anderson watched the incident in horror from the ground.
“You have to push to the limit, and when you go over the limit, this happens,” he told Australia’s Seven News.
A fifth skydiver captured dramatic footage of the fall and was also forced to look on helplessly at the two men plunging through the air.
Despite the near calamity, the Qatari team decided to carry on competing in the championships on Sunday.
One of the unnamed skydrivers said they had trained for entangling mishaps. “If you know how to fix the problem, you will not get nervous,” he said.
Despite high winds and heavy rain on the Gold Coast, 450 skydivers are taking part in the annual championships.
