Human catapult stunt kills student

An Oxford University student died after being propelled from a human catapult in a stunt organised by extreme sports enthusiasts.

He was hurled 70 feet into the air by the machine, a replica of a medieval trebuchet, but fell short of the landing net by "an inch or two".

Dino Yankov, 19, a Bulgarian studying at Wadham College, was the sixth of 20 members of the Oxford Stunt Factory to attempt the challenge on Sunday afternoon at Middlemoor Water Park, near Bridgwater, Somerset.

David Boston, of the Oxford Stunt Factory, said club members were devastated by the accident, which had claimed the life of one of its "brave and intelligent" members.

He said: "We do not know what went wrong and how this terrible tragedy occurred. Basically, he missed the net by an inch or two and hit the edge.

"The net is the size of a tennis court, so why it didn't catch him I have no idea. Other people had been on it before and it was fine. It had been tested. All the safety checks and test weights had been done to judge distances and then this happened.

"He was a fantastic guy and had been a member since the start of this academic year. He had done a lot of jumps for charity, was friendly, intelligent and as brave as a bull."

David Aitkenhead, who set up the event, held on disused land by the park, said: "I saw the accident but it is impossible to say what happened. He missed the landing by falling short of the net. He didn't fly far enough and hit the ground."

The extreme sports club, which is not officially linked to Oxford University, has performed stunts for television and films, including a record 700ft bungee jump for the James Bond film Goldeneye.

The catapult had been used some 50 times this year.

In 1999, Stella Young, 44, fractured her pelvis after being fired from the catapult.