Bir-Billing, the internationally renowned paragliding destination in Kangra district, witnessed another tragic accident on Tuesday evening when a 26-year-old tourist from Greater Noida was killed after falling from a tandem paraglider during a recreational flight.
The deceased has been identified as Shubham Dobliyal, who was holidaying in Himachal Pradesh with his sister and three cousins. He was reportedly flying with a local tandem pilot, identified as Vinay Kumar, when the incident occurred barely six minutes after take-off from Billing.
According to preliminary reports, the tourist fell from the paraglider and landed in a dense forest near the designated landing zone. The pilot, however, managed to land safely and subsequently informed other pilots about the passenger’s fall. A search operation was launched, and the victim’s body was recovered from the forest late in the evening.
The Kangra police have registered an FIR against the pilot at Bir police station on charges of causing death due to negligence. The exact circumstances leading to the tragedy are yet to be established.
Kangra Superintendent of Police Kulbhushan Verma said the possibility of the passenger’s safety belt becoming loose or snapping during the flight, as well as other factors, was being investigated. He said a detailed investigation would be necessary to establish the actual cause of the accident.
Kangra Deputy Commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said the administration was examining all possible aspects of the incident. He pointed out that passengers undertaking tandem flights place their complete trust in the pilot, making adherence to safety procedures particularly important.
Manish, victim’s cousin, said other family members had also undertaken paragliding flights and learnt about the tragedy only after landing, when the pilot informed them about the incident.
The latest fatality has once again brought the safety of tandem paragliding operations at Bir-Billing under scrutiny. The popular adventure tourism destination attracts thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year, many of whom depend entirely on operators and pilots for their safety during tandem flights.
The incident has raised serious questions about passenger harnesses, pre-flight safety inspections, equipment maintenance and the monitoring of commercial paragliding operations.
With another tourist losing his life, the tragedy has renewed calls for stricter safety checks and effective monitoring of tandem paragliding operations at Bir-Billing.
