E-Paper
Belgian paraglider dies after mid-air crash at Bir Billing
The accident involved two foreign solo pilots who collided while airborne and crash-landed; the other pilot, a Polish national, has been injured
A foreign paragliding pilot on Tuesday lost his life as he crashed after a mid-air collision with another pilot shortly after taking off at Bir Billing.
The accident involved two foreign solo pilots who collided while airborne and crash-landed. Police officials confirmed that one pilot, Patrice Feyaerts, who is a Belgian national, had lost his life in the incident. The other pilot, who is a Polish national, was injured in the mishap.
The incident occurred around 1 pm and according to police officials, both the pilots were free fliers. After the incident, the police launched a rescue operation while locals also offered help in tracing the paragliders.
Notably, three foreign paragliders who took off from Bir Billing had last week been rescued by using a chopper after they were stranded in the high-altitude mountains of Kullu district.
A paragliding accident had in April claimed the life of a 54-year-old woman in the high hills of Dhauladhar range. She had taken off from Bir-Billing, flying and reportedly crash-landed near Thati village in Baijnath tehsil.
Bir-Billing, the world’s second highest paragliding site, is ranked among the top paragliding sites of the world and attracts thousands of paragliding enthusiasts from across the world every year.
