A frightening incident unfolded near Manali on Sunday when a paraglider lost control mid-air and crash-landed on a road. The video of the emergency landing has gone viral on social media.
People nearby rushed to help the pilot after the landing. They shifted him to safety and informed the authorities. The viral clip shows the paraglider descending rapidly before landing on the road.
According to a post shared by the X handle @voccalhimachal, the incident occurred near Raison on the Chandigarh-Manali highway, briefly affecting traffic movement.
Eyewitnesses said the paraglider suddenly started losing height and became unstable in the air. To avoid hitting vehicles or nearby houses, the pilot reportedly guided the glider towards an open stretch of road before landing, according to a local news report.
Reacting to the incident, X user Nikhil Saini questioned the safety measures around the sport. He wrote, " First doubt… if a car had hit him after he fell in the middle of the highway, would the driver have been held guilty? And with the monsoon already here, why are paragliding activities still being allowed?”
According to preliminary reports, the pilot suffered only minor injuries and is safe. Officials believe sudden weather changes or strong winds may have caused the emergency landing.
The video has attracted widespread attention online, with many users raising concerns about adventure sports safety in the region. One user wrote, "India is not a country for adventure sports if you value your life and your family."
Another commented that adventure sports require proper training and safety standards, adding that such skills cannot be learned through online videos or short crash courses.
“The guilty is & always shall be car, bus and truck in that order,” another user reacted.
Himachal Pradesh has witnessed several paragliding accidents in recent years. In January last year, a tourist from Tamil Nadu died while a pilot was seriously injured after two paragliders collided at the Gadsa paragliding site in Kullu.
In another incident in 2024, a 43-year-old woman from the Czech Republic lost her life after crashing into a mountainside at Marhi near Manali.
Also read: Heavy rain likely in Himachal; IMD issues orange alert
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