Navy officer dies after paraglider crashes into sea

An Indian Navy officer died after a paraglider accident due to alleged engine failure. The paraglider which he was flying plunged into the sea. He was rushed to hospital where doctors declared him dead.

Karwar: A 55-year-old officer belonging to Indian Navy died after the paraglider, in which he was flying, crashed into the Arabian sea after an engine failure. The incident happened in Karnataka's Karwar Beach on Friday.

However, the instructor escaped unhurt and was later rescued by fishermen and other people on the beach. The deceased, who was later identified as Madhusudan Reddy, was posted as a commander at the Karwar's Naval Base.

Reddy went to the Karwar beach to pick up his friends who had arrived from Bangalore on Friday morning. They said that after they had a ride in the paramotor, Madhusudan had gone for flying. When the paraglider reached a certain height, a technical snag occurred following which the engine seized and plunge into the sea.

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Reddy's leg got stuck in the paramotor's rope and he fell into the sea with the glider and was dragged below the waters. There was a delay in locating him near the water but he was immediately brought to the shore by LifeGuard personnel and rushed to the hospital. But the doctors declared him dead.

According to police, Reddy was alive when he was brought to the shore but the ambulance arrived late causing a delay in reaching the hospital. A case has been registered and an investigation is underway.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the paragliding activity was stopped for the last six months. It resumed operations on Friday and it is the first such accident on Karwar Beach.

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