Daijiworld Media Network - Kangra
Kangra, Nov 12: A 26-year-old tourist from Greater Noida died after falling from a tandem paraglider mid-air during a flight at Bir-Billing, the world-famous paragliding destination in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district, police said.
The deceased has been identified as Shubham Dobliyal, who was employed with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC). He was visiting Himachal Pradesh with his sister and three cousins when the incident occurred.
According to police, information about the accident was received through the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)-112 helpline on November 10. A friend of the deceased alerted the authorities, reporting that the tourist had fallen while paragliding in the Bir-Billing area.
During the investigation, police recorded the statement of a 24-year-old woman from Greater Noida, who lodged the complaint.
An FIR was registered on November 11 against the paraglider pilot, a 45-year-old resident of Kangra district. The case has been registered under Sections 125 and 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway.
In a separate incident in October, a 47-year-old Bulgarian national died while his 63-year-old British companion survived after a paragliding accident near Rising Star Peak in Khaniyara, Dharamshala.
The two foreign nationals had taken off separately from the Bir-Billing paragliding site but reportedly encountered strong winds during their flights. The accident occurred on October 25 afternoon, following which a joint search-and-rescue operation was launched.
The deceased was identified as Maksim Valentinovich Gavrilichenko, who had arrived in India on October 7 on a tourist visa. His companion, Stephen Antony Purdie, was rescued.
Following the incident, police and the district administration mobilised a rescue team comprising local police personnel, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and members of the Him Sanchar Rescue Team.
Kangra Superintendent of Police Kulbhushan Verma said an investigation would be conducted to establish the cause of the accident.