Belgian paraglider dies after mid-air collision with another paraglider at Bir Billing in Kangra – India TV

Shimla: A Belgian paraglider died after a mid-air collision with another paraglider in Himachal’s Kangra district, five days before the 2024 World Paragliding Championships to be held in Bir Billing, police said on Wednesday.

The Feyar man, a free-flying paraglider in his sixties, came to Bir-Billing to train for the World Championships. Although both paragliders took off separately, they collided mid-air on Tuesday. The fairy crashed into the forest, and the other paraglider became entangled in the trees and was injured. He was later rescued.

Victim’s body still not recovered – police

Police said Fayaret’s body has not yet been found in the woods. This incident follows another fatality on October 23, 2023, when Polish paraglider Andres died during a solo flight from Bir Billing.

Avinash Negi, director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) in Manali, had earlier emphasized the need for strengthening safety measures in adventure sports, especially paragliding.

“A proposal is under consideration to install special towers in high mountains to locate crash sites in case of accidents,” Negi said.

Paragliding in Himachal Pradesh

While paragliders use devices to send distress signals and make emergency landings, GPS-enabled systems provide vague location data (within 50-100 meters), which can hamper rescue efforts, the expert noted. A total of 130 paragliders from 50 countries are expected to take part in this year’s World Cup, which will be held from November 2 to 9 in Bir Billing.

Several people have been killed or injured during tandem paragliding in Himachal Pradesh. Paragliding and all other adventure sports in the state were banned by the Himachal Pradesh High Court in January 2022 after it took strict note of the death of a 12-year-old boy from Bengaluru in an accident near Bir Billing paragliding ground.

(With the participation of the agency)

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