A 26-year-old tourist from Greater Noida died after falling from a tandem paraglider at the internationally acclaimed paragliding destination of Bir-Billing in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district. The incident occurred on Tuesday evening during a recreational flight, raising renewed concerns about safety standards at the adventure sports hub.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the deceased, identified as Shubham Dobliyal, was on holiday in Himachal Pradesh with his sister and three cousins. He was reportedly paragliding with a local tandem pilot, Vinay Kumar, when the accident happened approximately six minutes after take-off from Billing. The pilot, however, managed to land safely.
Preliminary reports indicate that the tourist fell from the paraglider and landed in a dense forest area located near the designated landing site. Following the incident, the pilot alerted other paragliders, and a search operation was immediately launched. The victim’s body was subsequently recovered from the forest late in the evening by rescue teams.
The Kangra police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the pilot at the Bir police station. He has been booked under charges related to causing death due to negligence. Officials stated that the precise circumstances leading to the tragic fall are still under investigation and a detailed inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the actual cause.
Kangra Superintendent of Police Kulbhushan Verma said that investigators are examining various possibilities, including whether the passenger’s safety belt had become loose or detached during the flight. He emphasized that a thorough investigation is necessary to establish the definitive cause of the accident. The Deputy Commissioner of Kangra, Hemraj Bairwa, added that the administration is scrutinizing all aspects of the incident. He highlighted the significant element of trust placed by passengers in pilots during tandem flights, underscoring the critical importance of adhering strictly to safety protocols.
The victim’s cousin, Manish, recounted that other family members had also participated in paragliding flights. They learned about the tragedy only after completing their own flights and being informed by the pilot about the passenger’s fall. This fatality has once again placed the safety of tandem paragliding operations at Bir-Billing under intense scrutiny.
Bir-Billing is a popular destination for adventure tourism, attracting thousands of domestic and international visitors annually. Many of these tourists rely entirely on the expertise and safety measures provided by operators and pilots during tandem paragliding. The recent incident has ignited discussions and calls for stricter safety checks, improved equipment maintenance, and more effective monitoring of commercial paragliding activities in the region. Questions are being raised about the integrity of passenger harnesses, the thoroughness of pre-flight safety inspections, and the overall oversight of paragliding operations.
The gravity of the situation has been amplified by the fact that this is not the first such incident to occur in the area, leading to renewed demands from stakeholders and the public for enhanced safety regulations and enforcement to prevent future tragedies at this renowned adventure tourism site.
The Chenab Times News Desk
