Russian detained after parachuting from Beijing skyscraper

World
Europe

A Russian man who parachuted from a super skyscraper in Beijing was detained for 10 days on the grounds of disturbing public order, police said.

Alex Pykhow, an extreme sports fan, posted a photo to show that he was parachuting from the “China Zun,” a 528-meter high skyscraper under construction, on April 1.

He landed on the road around 6 a.m. The next day he was arrested by police and held under Chinese law.

Before the jump in Beijing, Alex ‍put a photo of the city's CBD area on his social media account on March 30, saying he would parachute there. /Sina Photo

He had published a photo on his social media page on March 30 to show the city’s Central Business District, stating that he would be parachuting there.

Pykhow also released videos of similar stunts that he had performed around the world, including China. There is a video of him dropping from a tower crane in southern China's Guangzhou and landing at a motorway junction only a few meters away from pedestrians.

The Russian previously parachuted from high buildings in other Chinese cities such as Guangzhou, and uploaded videos on social media. /Sina Photo

According to a parachuting trainer surnamed Chen, “Parachuting from a high-rise building in the city is very irresponsible and dangerous practice for parachutists and other people. The environment of the city is different from the suburb. The atmospheric conditions in urban areas change faster than suburban areas, which means that the chance of accidents during the parachuting is hard to predict.

"Compared to the more open environment in the field, the city’s population is denser. Parachuting itself is a high-risk sport. You not only need to protect yourself, but must also be careful with other people. If you are parachuting in a city, you may hit buildings, cars or pedestrians."

Chen explained that extreme sports such as parachuting must be carried out in a compliant environment under the guidance of professionals.