Polish paraglider goes missing in Himachal’s Kangra, helicopters deployed to locate him

PTI

Shimla, October 25

Two helicopters have been deployed to search for a Polish paraglider missing for the last two days after he took off from Bir in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district.

On Monday, four Polish nationals launched themselves from Bir, and went missing near Dharamsala.

The rescue teams of Kangra district have located three out of four foreigners but one - Andrez is still missing, Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred days before the commencement of the Pre World Cup Paragliding competition to be held from October 26 at Bir-Billing in Kangra district.

According to the administration, trained gliders can fly, compete and indulge in adventurous activities in Bir-Billing – the paragliding capital of India that has also gained a global reputation.

The paragliders were not registered with any association as they flew in the free-flying category in which registration is not mandatory. As per reports, under this category, a person can cover a distance of up to 200-250 km.

Three foreigners were rescued near the Indrunag area on Tuesday. Officials said that they are safe and medically examined. The paragliders revealed that they planned to fly till Shahpur area but got lost, they added.

Rescue protocol is being followed and search operations near Dharamshala and Indrunag have been intensified to locate the missing paraglider, the SP said.

Preliminary information regarding the missing paraglider came from the daughter of the missing person through social media, officials said. Police are in touch with the family members of the missing persons, they said.

Over 150 participants from around 28 countries have registered to participate in the Pre World Cup Paragliding competition being organised jointly by the Billing Paragliding Association and the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation.

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