Cape Town - A paraglider has died in an accident in the mountains in the Wolseley area. The 48-year-old man was declared dead at the scene.
According to the report, the man went missing while paragliding with friends on Saturday evening. Realising that he was no longer in sight, they began tracking him using a GPS device.
Arriving at the scene at about 7pm on Saturday, ER24 paramedics were lowered to where the man was found lying. Assessing him, they realised he showed no sign of life.
The rescue was co-ordinated by Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC), but due to strong winds they could not retrieve his body that same night. It was recovered on Sunday morning by the South African Red Cross Air Mercy Service.
The South African Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) said: “The 48-year-old pilot was an experienced instructor and was conducting a solo cross-country flight.
“The reasons for the accident are unknown and the matter will be handed over to the Accident and Incident Investigations Division for further investigation.”
SAHPA spokesperson Louis Stanford said: “Paragliding is a challenging and very rewarding sport, however it does have inherent risks.
“As this matter has been referred for further investigation, it would be inappropriate to speculate on reasons for the accident.
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the teams from ARCC, SAPS, Western Cape EMS and Wilderness Search and Rescue for conducting the rescue and recovery in challenging conditions,” Stanford said.
SAPS spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed the incident and said a post-mortem would be conducted to determine the cause of death.
“Wolseley police registered an inquest after the body of a 48-year-old man was discovered on the mountain in Wolseley on Saturday at about 7.10pm. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”
Anyone with any information about this incident is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111.