Polish Paraglider Stranded In Kangra Rescued, Weather Conditions Hamper Paragliding World Cup

A Polish paraglider who was stranded in Dhauladhar hills after a mid-air collision with another paraglider on Sunday was safely rescued.

Dharamshala:The Polish paraglider stranded in Dhauladhar hills in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh after a mid-air collision with another paraglider on Sunday was safely rescued on Tuesday, officials said. The paraglider had got stranded in Dhauladhar hills on Sunday after colliding with another paraglider mid-air. The attempt to rescue him on Monday by using a chopper had failed due to tough terrain.

"The free flier paraglider from Poland, Andrew Babinski, has been safely air-lifted and admitted to Vivekananda Hospital Palampur," Baijnath Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) D C Thakur told PTI. Babinski sustained serious injuries but is out of danger, he added. Meanwhile, the Tuesday task for paragliders in the Paragliding World Cup 2024 being organised in Bir Billing in Kangra district was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

The technical committee had initially set a 148-kilometre course for Tuesday and all pilots successfully took off from Billing at the designated window time. However, deteriorating visibility and unfavourable weather conditions forced the organisers to call the pilots back, prioritising their safety, the organisers said.

According to the statement from the spokesperson of the Billing Paragliding Association, all the participants landed safely at the designated Bir landing site, and Tuesday task was subsequently cancelled. The eight-day Paragliding World Cup 2024 commenced on November 2 and 94 paragliders including seven women from 26 countries are participating in the event.

As part of safety measures, two helicopters, seven health teams with ambulances and six rescue and retrieval teams led by experts from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering Institute in Manali are on standby for the event. Last week, two foreign paragliders crashed to death in Himachal Pradesh.

Last Tuesday, a Belgian paraglider died after colliding mid-air with another paraglider in Bir Billing as his parachute failed to open after the collision. On Wednesday, solo paraglider Dita Misurcova (43) crashed into the mountains near Marhi in Manali after she lost control of the glider due to strong winds.