Hungarian wingsuit diver missing in China: Xinhua

Beijing (AFP) - A Hungarian wingsuit flyer was missing Tuesday after plunging into a valley in central China when his parachute failed to deploy during a trial flight, Chinese state media reported.

About 200 police and firefighters were searching for Victor Kovats who disappeared in a steep cliff area of the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in Hunan province, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Organisers of the Second World Wingsuit Championship, scheduled to take place at the park on October 13, said the incident may be related to a "technical error", Xinhua reported.

According to the Red Bull World Wingsuit League website, Kovats has done 700 jumps, as well as 1,250 skydives and 250 base jumps.

Xinhua said Kovats was pushed off course by a gust of wind before the parachute failed to deploy during the 700 metre jump from Tianmen Mountain.

Rescue teams on foot had been unable to find him before darkness fell and he was not wearing a GPS positioning system.

In August a Polish wingsuit diver died in the French Alps after hitting a mountain ridge during his descent.

In the same week British wingsuit diver Mark Sutton, who parachuted into the London 2012 Olympics dressed as James Bond, died after crashing into a ridge after jumping from a helicopter in Switzerland.

Wing-divers wear special jumpsuits that add surface area to the human body, enabling them to glide, before opening a parachute like a regular skydiver.

The sport is highly dangerous, with about 20 people dying annually around the world while jumping.