Belgian paraglider killed after mid-air collision in Himachal’s Bir-Billing

Belgian paraglider dies in mid-air collision in Himachal ahead of Paragliding World Cup, highlighting safety concerns.

A Belgian paraglider was killed after colliding mid-air with another paraglider in Himachal's Kangra district, five days ahead of the Paragliding World Cup 2024 set to take place in Bir-Billing, police said on Wednesday (October 30, 2024).

Feyarets, a free-flying paraglider in his mid-sixties, had come to Bir-Billing for practice, ahead of the World Cup.

Although both paragliders took off separately, they collided mid-air on Tuesday (October 29, 2024). Feyarets crashed into the forest, while the other paraglider got entangled in trees and suffered injuries. He was later rescued.

Police said that Feyaret's body is yet to be recovered from the forest.

This incident follows another fatality on October 23, 2023, when Polish paraglider Andrez died during a solo flight from Bir-Billing.

Avinash Negi, Director of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports (ABVIMAS) in Manali, had earlier emphasised the need for enhanced safety measures in adventure sports, particularly paragliding.

"A proposal to install special towers in high mountains to pinpoint the crash sites in case of accidents is in the pipeline," Negi said.