Daredevil Felix Baumgartner dies in paragliding crash in Italy

The extreme athlete, 56, reportedly lost control of his aircraft on Thursday at around 4pm in Porto Sant'Elpidio, in the Marche region.

According to Italian media, the Austrian plummeted to the ground and crashed into the pool of a hotel complex.

A woman was also left injured in the incident after being struck by Baumgartner during his descent. Reports suggest her condition is not serious.

Preliminary information indicates Baumgartner was already dead when the collision occurred.

Shortly before his death, the sporting sensation posted a video to social media showing himself paragliding in circles over a field.

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Baumgartner was internationally known for his spectacular jumps and rose to global fame in 2012 when he successfully completed a jump from the edge of space.

Armed only with a pressure suit and a parachute, he set three world records as he free-fell to Earth from the stratosphere at a blistering speed of 843.6mph, breaking the sound barrier.

After four minutes of falling, he opened his parachute and safely glided down to land in New Mexico.

Before setting his sights on space, Baumgartner was an accomplished skydiver who had completed thousands of jumps.