A British paraglider has died in Spain after reportedly becoming entangled in power lines. The 63-year-old, 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, multiple 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 the two crews from the Emergency Medical Service (SEM) arrived. The regional Mossos d'Esquadra police were also mobilised.'
Investigation Underway
Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, which is being treated as an accident, according to sources. Palau de Noguera, located at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountain range, is often used as a base camp for Àger – a village of just 637 inhabitants that is 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 crash 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 on an alpine sightseeing tour. The propeller caused severe damage to the paraglider canopy, forcing Sabrina to deploy her reserve parachute.
Emergency crews described it as extremely fortunate that no one suffered serious injuries. Sabrina 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 calling it a 'miracle' she didn't suffer a worse fate.
