Eight days after Polish paraglider goes missing, body still not recovered from ditch

The paraglider went missing after taking off from Bir Billing in Kangra on October 23. The rescue team has spotted the body but is unable to pull it out from the ditch since it is very deep and the area is covered with snow.

Dharamshala: Even after eight days, body of 74-year-old Polish paraglider Andrzej Kulawik, who went missing after taking off from Bir Billing in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district could not be recovered from the ditch. Members of the rescue team returned empty-handed on Sunday as the ditch was too deep and the area was covered with snow.

DC Kangra Dr. Nipun Jindal said that Kulawik and three others had taken off from Bir Billing but lost their way and landed at different places in the district. The three others were safely rescued by an helicopter but Kulawik could not be rescued. He had fallen on the upper hills of Triund where the temperature is below zero degree due to the snowfall. Thus it is very difficult for helicopter or any rescue team to reach that place.

"The spot where the paraglider's body landed has been found. It is very deep down the ditch and nearly impossible to reach there. Despite this, the rescue team is continuously trying to recover the body," DC Kangra said.

The rescue team has located Kulawik's body at an altitude of around 3650 meters. Both the Air Force and NDRF are helping the rescue teams, Jindal said. "Till now, two helicopters of a private company has been deployed and rescue operations have been undertaken with help of Air Force and NDRF. A survey of the spot has been conducted through helicopter. Efforts are underway to shift the body from the spot as soon as possible," he added.

Kulawik lost his way after taking off from Bir Billing and went missing. All efforts to find him went futile. His daughter Alicja Kulawik requested for help on social media. She wrote that her father was still missing and they lost contact with him at 12.20 pm on October 23. She said that he was last seen near Dharamshala but his phone and radio were not working as the battery was low. The district administration initiated a search operation afterwards.