Instructor, client killed in Gatineau skydiving accident

The two menwho died in a skydiving accident over the weekend nearGatineau, Que., have been identified as an instructor and his client.

One of the men was in his 20s and the other in his 30s, Gatineau police wrote in an emailMonday.Their names have not been released.

On Saturday afternoon, first responders rushed to an agricultural area north of the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport. The two men were declared dead at the scene.

Officials with the Commission des normes, de l'quit, de la sant et de la scurit du travail (CNESST), which is responsible for workplace safety in Quebec,are investigating.

The victims were part of aparachute jump organized by Parachute GO Skydive, based at the Gatineau-Ottawa Executive Airport.

• 2 killed in skydiving accident near Gatineau airport

Emergency parachute malfunctioned: investigators

According to CNESST's preliminary investigation, themain parachute was detached to allow the emergency parachute to open,but it appears it never did.

Both parachutes were sent to theCanadian Armed Forces for analysis.The CNESST investigation could take up tosix months to complete.

This is not the first tragedy to occur through the same skydiving school.

In July2015, a22-year-old instructor CarolyneBretonand a 45-year-old customer strapped to her were seriously injured when they were sent spiraling toward the ground using a reserve parachute. Bretonbroke her legs and theclient almost died.

In that incident, workplace safety investigatorsfound the instructor had deployed the main parachute and let it go, triggering the reserve parachute to deploy automatically. But the reserve parachute became entangled, sending the pair into a faster-than-normal spinning descent.