Four days after three foreign paragliders were rescued from high mountains in Kullu, a 65-year-old Belgian paraglider died following a mid-air collision with another paraglider at Bir Billing on Tuesday. The collision occurred around 11:30 a.m., leaving the Belgian paraglider fatally injured while the other pilot, from Poland, sustained minor injuries and is in stable condition. This incident has heightened safety concerns ahead of the upcoming Paragliding World Cup scheduled to start in Bir Billing on November 2. According to sources, after the collision, the Belgian pilot’s glider crashed, leaving him entangled in a tree. He was declared dead upon arrival at a local government hospital. Karanvir Singh, head of the Bir Billing Paragliding Association’s Search & Rescue team, stated, “Both paragliders took off around 11 a.m. and were flying separately before colliding mid-air. Unfortunately, one of them, from Belgium, did not survive.” Earlier, on October 25, three foreign paragliders, including a woman, were rescued after their gliders crashed into a mountainside in Kullu due to strong winds that caused them to lose their way mid-flight. The rescued paragliders were identified as Michal Karnik and Bernard Greg Collins from New Zealand, and Rosie from Britain. Karnik and Rosie sustained injuries in the incident. The three-hour-long rescue operation was conducted by a 10-member team from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMS) with assistance from a helicopter hired by the Bir Billing Paragliding Association.
