A German base jumper has died after his parachute reportedly failed to open when he jumped off a 100m (330ft) cliff in Portugal.

Dominik Loyen, a well-known figure in Germany's extreme sports scene, died following the incident in the coastal city of Nazare, police told German media.

The jump was caught on camera and footage showed the 50-year-old launching off the cliff with another athlete.

Loyen was known to film his jumps and post them online.

During his final leap, the other participant's parachute opened and he was able to land safely, while Loyen continued to fall to the beach and hit several rocks on the way. His parachute appeared to activate following the final impact.


According to the Bild newspaper, attempts by emergency services to resuscitate the athlete were unsuccessful and an investigation was under way.

In 2014, broadcaster Deutsche Welle interviewed Loyen about his jumps in Switzerland, where he had been living as the sport is legal there.

He shared a story about surviving a delayed parachute deployment, saying he landed unharmed.

When asked if he had considered giving up base jumping, he replied: "Yes, I had some thoughts about taking a break, or giving it up completely, when a good friend of mine had a fatal accident.

"But then you deal with it, and somehow you have to do what you find fun. You worry about it and then decide to carry on anyway and you swear not to make the same mistakes."

People have been paying tribute to Loyen on his Facebook account, hailing his expertise and "positive vibes".

One added: "Glad to know the universe has a few more positive ions."

Base is a term which stands for four categories of fixed objects from which a person can jump: building, antenna, span, and earth.