A 27-year-old Gujarat tourist died after a paragliding accident near Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district on Sunday. The accident has once again raised serious issues about the safety procedures in the adventure sport sector in the region.
The deceased, Satish Rajesh, was flying on a tandem paragliding with pilot Suraj of the Indru Nag Paragliding Site when their paraglider lost stability immediately after liftoff and crashed into a ditch. A video recording of the few moments leading to the crash went viral on social media, adding to the tragedy.
Satish suffered severe injuries and was hurried to Zonal Hospital in Dharamshala before he was referred to Tanda Medical College in Kangra, where he died of his injuries on Monday. The pilot, Suraj, is receiving treatment for his injuries.
Additional City Superintendent of Police (ASP) Hitesh Lakhanpal confirmed the death, saying Satish’s family had been notified and his body would be released upon completion of post-mortem formalities. The probe to determine the cause of the crash, whether any negligence or breach of safety standards, has been initiated with the local Station House Officer (SHO) conducting the investigation, and the tourism department has been asked to carry out an internal probe.
The latest accident occurred only days ahead of a seasonal prohibition on all adventure sports, paragliding included, which is to go into effect from July 15 because of the monsoon season. The authorities enact this annual prohibition to help reduce risks that are posed by erratic weather patterns in the rainy season.
The Indru Nag site has previously witnessed tragedies. Last January, another Gujarat tourist, Bhavsar Khushi ,perished when she fell from a tandem flight at the same spot. Two more paragliding fatalities have occurred in the area, as reported in the same month.
In the last two and a half years, over 12 people have lost their lives in paragliding accidents in Himachal Pradesh. Officials hold most of these fatalities responsible on the part of free-fliers, who go flying into high-risk areas or inner valleys without proper acquaintance with local wind patterns and topography, emphasising the need for enforcing strict safety measures.