The son of a woman who died while skydiving said she was “just trying something new” when his family lost her.
Mother-of-four Belinda Taylor, 48, from Totnes, Devon, and Adam Harrison, 30, from Bournemouth, Dorset, died in the area of Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Devon, at about 1pm on Friday.
Ms Taylor’s son Elias Baaklini, 20, a business student from Acton, west London, told the PA news agency: “She was a very caring woman, always supporting no matter what it was.
“She didn’t care as long as you were happy, we all loved her a lot and she will be very missed.
“She was a very positive woman as well, she liked to do exciting things so it’s just a tragedy that she went off to have fun, do something she’d never done before, experience something new and we lost her.”
Mr Baaklini said he was in Exeter, Devon, with his two older brothers on Friday to celebrate one of their birthdays.
He added: “We don’t know too much about what’s happened but I think when you go on these types of things it’s not what you’re expecting, especially now with the safety measures they have, it’s such an unlucky thing to happen.
“We just want to know what happened, the cause of it.”
Restaurant owner Bachir Baaklini, 46, who has two children with Ms Taylor, including Elias, said his family want “justice”.
He went on: “We need to find out what caused this so no one else dies the same way as she died.
“It’s a shock, Friday and Saturday we were just constantly in tears, you don’t think it’s a true story.”
Mr Baaklini, paying tribute to his ex-wife, said: “She was a very funny human being. She was a very, very good mum. She was a nice lady. We are a close family.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, SkyDiveBuzz Dunkeswell said it was “heartbroken” by the incident and was fully co-operating with the investigation.
It said: “We are heartbroken to confirm that an incident occurred on Friday, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives. Our deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, and everyone affected by this devastating event.
“As per standard procedure, the relevant authorities were contacted immediately, and the appropriate investigation protocols were initiated without delay. A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry will now investigate the accident.
“Once complete, a report – including conclusions and any recommendations – will be submitted to the coroner, the police, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the British Skydiving Safety & Training Committee (STC), and other relevant bodies.
“Safety is, and always has been, our top priority. We are fully co-operating with the investigation and continue to uphold the highest possible standards in everything we do.
“No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected, including our team, during this incredibly difficult time.”
The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that it was aware of the incident but could not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
A spokesperson added: “We will work closely with the relevant authorities to understand what happened and are awaiting the report into the incident.”
