A PARACHUTIST crashed into the roof of a stadium and had to cling on for dear life in terrifying scenes.
Toulouse were hosting Sale Sharks in the Champions Cup in France, as the match ball was delivered by parachute.
One of the parachutists got stuck in the roof at the Stade de Toulouse[/caption]
And ahead of kick-off, three parachutists flew into the bowl of the Stadium de Toulouse.
About five minutes before the 3pm kick-off, the first two landed safely on the pitch.
But the third got his parachute trapped in the roof of the stadium as he misjudged the landing.
The man, later identified as Trouille Yannick, was left hanging on as fans were cleared from the seats 50feet below in case he fell on them.
He was seen clinging to the fabric of his chute as 33,000 terrified fans watched on in the stadium, and thousands more watched live on French TV.
Video footage from rugby reporter Charlie Morgan showed staff – including the fancy-dress mascot – carrying rugby post protectors to provide padding in case he fell.
Toulouse then moved a giant inflatable – used to keep children amused before the match – underneath while a fire engine arrived on the scene.
Eventually, after 30 agonising minutes of high drama, a ladder was hoisted out from the fire engine to rescue the parachutist, with the firefighters whipping up the crowd which prompted a huge reaction.
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The fans sang the French national anthem the Marseillaise once the parachutist was safely brought to the ground.
Thankfully, he was left shaken but unharmed by the incident.
Speaking to France 2, the military parachutist thanked firefighters fore their rescue.
He said: “I saw that everything was being organised around me.
“I remained calm. I was not afraid that the parachute would come loose because I had looked carefully, it was well attached.
“I’m doing very well and I thank everyone, the Stade Toulouse team, the firefighters, and all the fans who cheered me on.”
The alarming incident meant kick-off for the huge match was delayed by 40 minutes.
Firefighters came to the rescue to save the day[/caption]
There was understandable concern for the parachutist[/caption]
Sale headed to France in the hope of dumping out the reigning Champions Cup holders in their last-16 showdown.
Of the other English teams to make the knockout stages, Northampton Saints are the only team to have reached the quarter-finals.
Saracens, Harlequins and Leicester Tigers were all dumped out in crushing defeats.
