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UPDATE 9:30 A.M.| About 50 search and rescue volunteers are combing the Mount Si area near North Bend this morning in search of a skydiver who went missing yesterday.

The 29-year-old Florida man jumped from a two-seater, bubble-style, helicopter at 6,500 feet, says King County sheriff’s spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West. Dressed in what West calls a “squirrel suit,” the man was supposed to free-fall to about 2,000 feet, then pull his parachute cord. Spotters on the ground, however, never saw the parachute, nor did they spot the man, West said.

The sheriff’s office was called around 2:30 p.m. and search and rescue crews looked for the man on Thursday. They resumed their search early this morning. They are combing through a few miles of thick brush, West said.

The helicopter is believed to be privately owned. The missing man’s father is en route to Seattle today, West said.

A squirrel suit is one of several names for what are called wingsuits, specialized jumpsuits that have fabric between the arms and legs to create more lift. Users start their wingsuit flights from up high, opening their chutes at the end of their jumps.

EARLIER POST

A search has been launched for a helicopter skydiver who is reported missing near Mount Si, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The helicopter pilot reported that the skydiver had jumped from about 2,000 feet, but never made it to the landing site. The pilot was not sure whether the skydiver’s parachute had opened.

Search-and-rescue workers are searching for the man.