The funeral of newsreader Carol Barnes' daughter Clare, killed in a parachute accident, was held in Australia today.

Clare Barnes, 24, died on her 200th jump near Barwon Heads, close to Melbourne.

She kissed her boyfriend Chris McDougall in the sky moments before her parachute failed to open and she plummeted 14,000ft to her death.

An interim report into the accident found the parachute Clare was using had not been packed properly, leading to a chain of events which prevented it opening.

Her mother, who lives at Brighton Marina, and her father, Government minister Denis MacShane, flew to Australia earlier this week.

They never married during their relationship in the late Seventies and early Eighties. Both went on to marry other people.

The Australian Parachute Federation blamed poor gear maintenance and incorrect packing of the parachutes for Clare's death.

Its report suggested Clare was likely to have packed the equipment herself.

Graeme Windsor, the APF's national safety and operations manager, said that after the pilot chute's failure "it appears Clare followed correct emergency procedures by pulling the main parachute release system, followed by the reserve ripcord.

"Unfortunately, the main parachute did not release as it should have, and the reserve parachute became entangled with it, preventing either parachute from opening correctly."

The report said technical factors which contributed to Clare's death included parts of her kit being incompatible. An inquest will be held.