67-yr-old Belgian paraglider dies in mid-air collision

Feyarets (67), a paraglider from Belgium, was killed when he collided mid air with another paraglider near Billing this evening. Feyarets was a free flyer and had come to participate in the International Paragliding World Cup Championship to be held at Bir-Billing from November 2 to 10.

Anurag Sharma, president of the Bir-Billing Paragliding Association (BPA), told The Tribune that the two paragliders had a mid-air collision soon after taking off from Billing. He added that the BPA came to know about the tragedy in the afternoon and reported the matter to Bir police station. BPA volunteers along with the police reached the spot but the body of the paraglider was yet to retrieved from the dense forest.

Earlier in the day, a paraglider was caught in high voltage power transmission lines near Bir but he managed to land safely. Sharma said that despite the best efforts of the BPA and the SADA, such mishaps were still occurring. “If paragliders properly follow safety parameters, the number of mishaps can be brought down drastically,” he added.