Japanese man dies in India paragliding accident

NEW DELHI: A Japanese man died in a paragliding accident in north India´s Himachal Pradesh state, popular with both domestic and foreign tourists for its Himalayan peaks, police said on Saturday.

The officials said that Makota Sukoma, 38, died after crashing into a hillside while paragliding in Bir Billing, around 131 miles (212 kilometres) from state capital Shimla.

"Sukoma took off in Billing on Friday afternoon but lost control over the glider and crashed into a hillside," Sunaina Sharma, local sub divisional magistrate, told journalists.

"Locals and police found him seriously injured and rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. The doctor said he had sustained head injuries," she added.

Two other foreign nationals have lost their lives in separate paragliding accidents around Bir Billing in the last three weeks.

A Russian died when his paraglider got crashed into power transmission lines soon after he took off, while a British paraglider was in a fatal crash in October.

Bir Billing in the state´s scenic Kangra valley is one of the most popular sites with domestic and international paragliding enthusiasts. It also hosted Paragliding World Cup event in 2015.