Polish paraglider stranded in Kangra after mid-air collision   

A paraglider from Poland was stranded on a hill in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh after a mid-air collision with another paraglider, officials said on Monday.

Efforts are being made to rescue the paraglider, they said.

Meanwhile, an Australian paraglider participating in the Paragliding World Cup 2024 in Bir-Billing in Kangra district was knocked out of the competition after he suffered a sprain in his leg before takeoff on Sunday, according to the officials.

A free-flying paraglider from Poland got stranded on a hill in Kangra on Sunday after colliding with another paraglider mid-air, the officials said.

He is in touch with the paragliding organisers and will be rescued soon, they said.

Australian paraglider David Snowden could not take part in the Paragliding World Cup 2024 due to a leg sprain.

"Australian paraglider David Snowden had a sprain in his leg before takeoff and did not fly. He was rushed to the hospital for an X-ray and is fine now," Billing Paragliding Association president Anurag Sharma told PTI.

The eight-day Paragliding World Cup 2024 commenced on November 2 and 94 paragliders, including seven women, from 26 countries are participating in the event.

As part of safety measures, two helicopters, seven health teams with ambulances, and six rescue and retrieval teams led by experts from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mountaineering Institute in Manali are on standby for the event, Sharma said.

Last week, two foreign paragliders crashed to death in Himachal Pradesh. On Tuesday, a Belgian paraglider died after colliding mid-air with another paraglider in Bir-Billing as his parachute failed to open after the collision.

On Wednesday, solo paraglider Dita Misurcova (43) crashed into the mountains near Marhi in Manali after she lost control of the glider due to strong winds.