Australian base jumper dies in Malaysia after parachute fails

An Australian base jumper plunged to her death from a 165-metre tower after her parachute failed to open, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

Tantikey Lie Marion, 42, died while participating in training with a group of 19 other local and international base jumpers Tuesday at the Alor Star Tower in the northern state of Kedah, the English-language Star said.

She died on the spot after hitting the concrete ground, dpa reported.

"I was standing about 100 metres from the tower when she jumped," witness Mohamed Zaidi Zainol Abidin was quoted as saying. "I saw her struggling to pull open the parachute but she failed."

The base jumpers were training for the three-day KL Tower International Jump, which starts October 7.

KL Tower, which is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, is 421 metres tall, including its 86-metre-long antenna. The base jumping event is held annually and since last year has begun to feature night jump.