Prague, Sept 24 (CTK) – Parachute jumps during public events have been cancelled in reaction to the Saturday accident in Prague, Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO) said in the Questions of Vaclav Moravec discussion programme on public Czech TV on Sunday.
The ban will be in effect at least until the investigation into the incident is completed, he added.
A paratrooper along with a woman and a child from the audience were injured during the Military Day in Prague on Saturday.
Two of the three injured people were to be released from hospital on Sunday or on Monday, Stropnicky said, adding that their lives were not threatened.
He said the accident had probably been caused by a sudden gust of wind.
“In any case, we have immediately cancelled any jumps of paratroopers during public events since we must first investigate the case to find out what went wrong,” Stropnicky said.
The accident occurred during the jumping of eight paratroopers at the end of the military show in Prague-Letna.
One of them hit the ground outside the selected area, fell down on the railing behind which people were watching the show and knocked it over, Vlastimila Cyprisova, from the General Staff’s press section, said
The military police and the police of the Czech Republic will look into the accident, she said.
The paratrooper suffered contusion of his legs and back and was transferred to the Central Military Hospital.
The wounded woman was conscious, she had bruised elbow and back, Emergency Service spokeswoman Jana Postova said.
The injured woman and child were taken to the Prague-Motol Teaching Hospital.
