Two deaths in 48 hours: Another paraglider crashes to death in Manali

A day after the death of a Belgian paraglider, another paraglider from the Czech Republic was killed in Himachal Pradesh's Manali after she crashed into the mountainside on Wednesday, officials said.

Two paragliders have now died in two days in Himachal Pradesh ahead of the Paragliding World Cup 2024 commencing on 2 November in Bir-Billing, considered a 'paragliding paradise', in Himachal's Kangra district.

The deceased solo paraglider, identified as Dita Misurcova (43), crashed into the mountains near Marhi in Manali when she lost control over the glider owing to strong winds, as per preliminary reports.

The paraglider was immediately rushed to a hospital in Manali, where she was declared dead, officials added. An experienced paraglider, Misurcova has been paragliding for the past six years.

On Tuesday, a Belgian paraglider was killed after colliding mid-air with another paraglider in Bir-Billing as his parachute failed to open after the crash, while 50-year old Russian national Aleksei Kozlochkov died from a suspected heart attack in his hotel room in Bir on Monday.

The Tuesday accident occurred when the two paragliders, who took off separately, collided mid-air, leading to the death of Belgian paraglider Feyaret, while a Polish paraglider sustained injuries. Feyarets was a free-flying paraglider in his mid-60s, officials said.

Ten paragliders were flying simultaneously and two of them crashed with each other mid-air. The Belgium paraglider died as his parachute did not open after the crash, Kangra district's deputy director (tourism) Vinay Dhiman told PTI.

The chances of an accident increase when free fliers venture into high-risk zones or inner valleys with little knowledge of the topography and local wind conditions, he said, adding, "We are in the process of documenting the thermals in the Bir-Billing area with the help of experts to reduce the probability of accidents while flying."

"A proposal to install special towers in high mountains to pinpoint the crash sites in case of accidents is in the pipeline," said Avinash Negi, director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) in Manali.

In October 2023, three paragliders — Russian, Polish and Indian — were killed in a week while paragliding.

The 2-9 November World Cup will see participation from 130 paragliders from 50 countries.