Himachal: Three foreign paragliders rescued in Kullu

Three foreign paragliders stranded in the high mountains of Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district were rescued by helicopter on Friday after a complex rescue operation began.

The paragliders, identified as Michael from Australia, Gabriel Greg Collins from New Zealand and Rosie Durwood from the UK, took off from Bir Billing in Kangra district on Thursday. Due to strong winds and some technical problems, they lost altitude and got stuck on high-altitude ridges in Kullu. They were rescued by helicopter.

Michael was rescued from 4,500 metres, Greg from 3,420 metres, and Rosie from 3,270 metres. Apart from the Kullu administration, the Billing Paragliding Association (BPA) also took part in the rescue operation. Two pilots were reported injured, including Collins suffering a broken spine.

After receiving the information, the district administration launched an intensive rescue operation, although unfavorable weather conditions and terrain made the work difficult. The rescue operation took place between Dinosaur Peak and Fungni Mata Peak in Kullu district. Two paragliders were rescued in one place, but the third was stuck in another place.

SDM Kullu Vikas Shukla said, “After receiving information on Thursday evening, they formed a rescue team of highly trained professionals from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) Manali. They were posted on Friday morning. One of the ABVIMAS team members and an Israeli pilot then rescued them one by one using a helicopter. We originally planned for our team to go up and rescue the gliders after reaching the highest point accessible by helicopter. »