Free-runner dies after bridge jump

The body of a parkour practitioner, often referred to as free-running, was discovered on Sunday in Luzhou, Sichuan province, eight days after he jumped off a bridge as part of his routine, local media reported.

Parkour sees participants use their surroundings to propel their bodies. Various structures such as bridges, walls and buildings are used.

Wang Zijian, 21, jumped off the bridge on the Tuojiang River, a tributary of the upper Yangtze River in Luzhou, on April 6 to fulfill an ambition to "conquer it," lzep.cn, a local news website in Luzhou, reported.

However, immediately after the jump he apparently lost consciousness and his body was swept away before being retrieved by a sand dredger, the report said.

Wang was in a group of several free-runners when he jumped. A number of passers-by also saw him jump from the bridge.

Medical experts were quoted as saying that he died of drowning after suffering multiple injuries to his limbs as a result of the jump.