Two experienced skydivers die after midair collision entangles their parachutes

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Two experienced skydivers died Friday when their parachutes became entangled during an organized dive in Southern California.

Georgia Jean, 56, of Box Elder, S.D., and Levi Pimentel, 29, of Aurora, Ill., both licensed skydivers, began to plummet at about 150 feet above the ground when they collided midair at Skydive Elsinore around noon in Lake Elsinore, about 75 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

The freefall portion of the skydive was normal, as was the opening of the parachutes, Skydive Elsinore said.

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A person skydives in Dubai while attached to a tandem instructor.

A file photo of a person skydiving. (Skydive Dubai/Getty Images)

Jean and Pimentel suffered “traumatic injuries” and were rushed by ambulance to a hospital, the Riverside County Fire Department said on social media.

They were pronounced dead at the hospital.

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Lake Elsinore stretches beside the surrounding community.

Skydive Elsinore is located in Lake Elsinore. (Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

“The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground,” Skydive Elsinore said in a statement.

Pimentel was a lead skydiving instructor at iFLY Naperville in Illinois, according to her LinkedIn, and Jean had done more than 1,700 jumps, according to her website.

2 skydivers at an air show

Two U.S. Army skydivers perform a stunt during an air show in Southern California.  (Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)

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The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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