Malaysian Passes Away After Losing Control of Parachute During BASE Jump in Putrajaya

Last week, 1st January, a man died while performing a BASE jump trial at the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) building.

The 49-year-old man, Azuan Taharudin, was among seven other BASE jumpers from Team Putrajaya Corporation (PPJ) that day. They were believed to be training for a performance in conjunction with the 2021 Federal Territories Day.

According to Astro Awani, Putrajaya District Police chief ACP Mohd Fadzil Ali said that during the incident, which occurred at 5.35 pm, the victim reportedly lost control of his parachute during the jump and fell at the side of the building.

Lagi tragedi hari pertama tahun baharu 2021.

Seorang penerjun Putrajaya BASE Jump maut ketika latihan bagi persediaan sambutan Hari Wilayah.

Mangsa, Azuan Taharudin dikatakan hilang kawalan semasa buat terjunan dan jatuh di sisi bangunan KPWKM sekitar 6.30 ptg Jumaat (1.1.21) pic.twitter.com/OZfrfcfGLj

— Mohd Redzuan Abdul Manap (@redzuanNewsMPB) January 1, 2021

The death of the experienced BASE jumper, Azuan Taharudin, took a huge toll on the BASE jump community as many have looked up to him as a source of reference, especially for new BASE jumpers. He was, after all, an expert.

As reported by Bernama, a fellow jumper, Adi Khirman Marji, said he knew the deceased since 2012 when both of them did skydiving before they ventured into BASE jumping in 2014.

“The late Azuan was among the first [of us] to venture into the extreme sporting event. Most of my BASE jump activities were performed with him because he was a ‘sifu’ (master) and a person who was highly skilled at handling parachutes,” he said.

“Azuan would study the technical aspects of a new equipment before jumping,” he added on.

Adi Khirman and Azuan achieved so much together since 2016. Some of their achievements include the KL Tower International Jump, 2019 National Day Jump, 2018 Federal Territories Day Celebration Jump, 2020 Putrajaya Event BASE Jump, KPWKM 2019 Family Day Celebration gimmick, 2020 UiTM BUDIRun event gimmick, 2018 Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Jump Demo and 2019 Putrajaya Jubilee Jump.

The remains of Azuan were finally laid to rest the next day (2 January) at the Sungai Kantan Muslim cemetery in Kajang.

This is the first fatal incident involving BASE jumping activities in Putrajaya. The last time an incident like this occurred, was back in 2010 at Menara Alor Setar in Kedah. A female BASE jumper from Australia met with an accident after her parachute failed to open during a training session.

Our sincere condolences go out to Azuan’s loved ones during this difficult time. Let us know your thoughts about this story. Drop a comment in the comment section below!