A British paraglider has died in Spain after he reportedly became entangled in power lines. The 63-year-old man, who has not been publicly identified, was flying over Palau de Noguera in Lleida, Catalonia, on Wednesday afternoon when the accident occurred.
Emergency Response
Local firefighting teams, several fire engines, and helicopters were dispatched to the scene at around 1:20 PM local time (12:20 PM GMT) but were unable to save the man. A spokesperson from the regional government stated: 'The Generalitat's firefighters received a call at 1:20 PM yesterday about a paragliding accident in the Palau de Noguera area, in the municipality of Tremp.'
'Immediately, three fire crews from the Tremp and Sort fire stations were activated. They searched the area, located the victim seriously injured, and provided initial medical attention until two crews from the Emergency Medical Service (SEM) arrived. The regional Mossos d'Esquadra police were also mobilized.'
Investigation Underway
Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, which is being treated as an accident, according to sources. Palau de Noguera, situated at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range, is often used as a base camp for Àger, a village of just 637 inhabitants popular among paragliders.
Previous Incident
Last month, a paraglider narrowly escaped death after a plane ripped through her parachute above the Austrian Alps. The 44-year-old paraglider, Sabrina, took off from Schmittenhohe mountain and was flying towards Piesendorf when the collision occurred at around 1:15 PM on May 23, her birthday.
The Cessna aircraft that collided with her parachute had taken off from Zell am See Airport and was conducting an alpine sightseeing tour when disaster struck. The propeller reportedly caused severe damage to the paraglider canopy, forcing Sabrina to deploy her reserve parachute.
Miraculous Escape
Emergency crews described it as extremely fortunate that nobody suffered serious injuries. The paraglider later wrote on Instagram: 'Happy birthday to me. The day a Cessna 172 takes you out of the sky while you're paragliding…' She added: 'I actually still can't believe that I'm sitting here typing this and that, aside from a few nasty bruises and some general contusions, absolutely nothing happened.' Sabrina sought medical treatment for minor injuries, with emergency personnel declaring it a 'miracle' she did not suffer a worse fate.
