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Skydive victim's fears revealed | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The parents of a soldier killed on a skydiving training exercise in Canada said he was dreading making the jump. | |
Billy and Jane Mitchell believe their son Kevin, 23, who was in Alberta with other members of The Highlanders, may have died on his first skydiving trip. | |
Billy and Jane Mitchell, from Hatton, Aberdeenshire, said Pte Mitchell told them his fears the day before he died. | |
It is understood his main parachute spiralled and there was not enough time for his back-up to open properly. | |
Mrs Mitchell said her son phoned the day before he died and said he was dreading the parachute jump. | |
'Full of life' | |
She said it was mainly the fact that he had to walk out first beneath the wing of the light aircraft before letting go. | |
Mr Mitchell told the BBC Scotland news website his son was "full of life." | |
Pte Mitchell had been in Alberta, near Calgary, since the end of July on adventure training with other members of The Highlanders battalion. | |
He had already survived a tour of Iraq and his family say he loved the Army. | |
The accident, which happened on Friday, is being investigated by the Canadian authorities. | The accident, which happened on Friday, is being investigated by the Canadian authorities. |
The family hope Pte Mitchell's body will be returned to Scotland later this week. | The family hope Pte Mitchell's body will be returned to Scotland later this week. |
'Deep regret' | |
He was the oldest of three sons and was serving with The Highlanders, 4th Battalion of The Royal Regiment of Scotland. | |
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said every effort was taken to ensure that all army training was conducted as safely as possible. | A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said every effort was taken to ensure that all army training was conducted as safely as possible. |
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "It is with deep regret that we can confirm the death of Pte Kevin Mitchell. | A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "It is with deep regret that we can confirm the death of Pte Kevin Mitchell. |
"Our thoughts are with the soldier's family and friends at what must be a difficult time. | "Our thoughts are with the soldier's family and friends at what must be a difficult time. |
"This incident will be investigated fully and any lessons we can learn will be applied to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future." | "This incident will be investigated fully and any lessons we can learn will be applied to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future." |