Spanish army sergeant dies after parachute exercise over the coast of the Mar Menor’s La Manga in Murcia

A Spanish army sergeant died after parachuting over the waters of La Manga in the Murcia region.

Rafael Gallant Martinez was involved in a special operations exercise yesterday afternoon(June 10).

He was discovered unconscious and facedown in the sea.

The circumstances behind the incident were not made public.

The 34-year-old soldier was taken to Cartagena’s Saint Lucia Hospital but died several hours later.

A colleague was also pulled out of the sea but did not need medical attention.

Rafael Gallant Martinez joined the army in 2008 and was promoted to the rank of sergeant last July.

He was based at Ronda in Malaga Province.

He participated in military assignments in Afghanistan, Senegal, and the Central African Republic, and had been awarded the Cross of Military Merit.

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