A 47-year-old Bulgarian paraglider was killed and his 63-year-old British companion rescued after separate paragliders crashed near Rising Star Peak in Khaniyara, Dharamshala, amid strong winds, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of October 25 when the two foreign nationals, who had taken off separately from the Bir-Billing paragliding site, reportedly encountered adverse weather conditions during their flights. Information about the crash was received between 3 pm and 3:30 pm.
The deceased was identified as Maksim Valentinovich Gavrilichenko, a Bulgarian national who arrived in India on October 7 on a tourist visa. His British companion, Stephen Antony Purdie, was rescued without injuries.
A joint search-and-rescue operation was launched around 9 pm on Sunday by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), local police, district administration and the Him Sanchar Rescue Team. Battling difficult terrain and challenging conditions, the teams continued their efforts through the night before concluding the operation at around 10 am on Monday.
The Bulgarian nationalтАЩs body was recovered and shifted to the mortuary at Zonal Hospital, Dharamshala, for a post-mortem examination. Purdie was safely evacuated during the operation.
Kangra Superintendent of Police Kulbhushan Verma confirmed the incident, adding that police were completing the necessary legal formalities. The exact cause of the crash will be established during the investigation.
Meanwhile, the administration has temporarily suspended solo paragliding activities at the world-renowned Bir-Billing site following a series of recent crash-landing incidents and changing weather conditions. The decision has triggered protests among pilots, including domestic and international flyers, who have questioned the suspension and demanded a clear technical justification.
A large number of pilots register their protest, saying the restrictions had disrupted their flying schedules and training activities.
Baijnath Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sankalp Gautam said six to seven crash-landing incidents had been reported over the preceding two to three days. He said changing weather patterns posed additional risks, particularly for foreign pilots undertaking long-distance flights.
The administration has suspended the activities for two to three days as a precautionary measure, he said, adding that the situation would be reviewed in consultation with pilots before a decision was taken to resume operations.
Officials maintained that the safety of pilots and tourists remained the administrationтАЩs top priority. The resumption of flights will depend on an assessment of weather conditions and the implementation of necessary safety measures.
