Canadian paraglider found dead in Dhauladhar ranges

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 22 : Canadian paraglider Megan Elizabeth (27) was found dead on October 20 after her paraglider crashed-landed in the snow range of the Dhauladhar mountains near the North Indian hill town of Dharamshala.

She had taken off from the Bir-Billing paragliding site on October 18. Her body was recovered during a rescue operation conducted by the Indian Institute of Mountaineering, Dehradun, local climbers, and volunteers from the Bir Billing Paragliding Association (BPA).

Her body was airlifted by helicopter. Additional Superintendent of Police Bir Bahadur toldthat her body was handed over to her friends and cremated on October 21, after the post-mortem was conducted at Tanda Medical College, Kangra. The concerned embassy was informed, and all legal procedures were followed.

Speaking toabout the accident, Bir Bahadur said that the Billing Paragliding site comes under the Police Station Bir. He explained that the Canadian paraglider had flown from the site on October 18 and, while passing over the Triund area in the Dhauladhar mountains above Dharamshala, her paraglider crashed. "Her body was lifted by helicopter on the 20th, and after a post-mortem at Tanda Medical College, it was handed over to her friends. The embassy and her family were informed. It was an accidental death, and all necessary legal proceedings are being carried out," he added.

One of the rescue team members was dropped from a helicopter in the high hills of the Dhauladhar mountains and recorded a short video during the operation. Megan Elizabeth was found dead in acute cold conditions, with injuries sustained during the crash landing on a rock at an altitude of 3,900 meters above sea level.

The Dhauladhar mountain range has seen multiple incidents involving foreign nationals in recent months, highlighting the risks of high-altitude adventures. Earlier, an Israeli national who went missing while trekking in the snow line near Dharamshala was found seriously injured on June 15 and shifted to Tanda Hospital for medical treatment.

Additional Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal told ANI, "The missing Israeli national has been found and is seriously injured. He is being moved to Tanda Hospital for medical treatment." The 44-year-old trekker, Samuel Vengrinovich, had been missing since June 6 early afternoon.

Lakhanpal added that Vengrinovich was reportedly heading towards a glacier next to the Indrahar Pass trail, a high-altitude trek route in Himachal Pradesh. The District Disaster Management Authority received information about the missing trekker on June 9, following which police formed search teams with SDRF, local trekkers, and other support personnel.

Despite harsh weather conditions hampering the operation, drones and coordinated efforts were used to trace the trekker. Lakhanpal said, "Because of inclement weather, the search became a little difficult, but we used drones and tried to find out the area or the route where he exactly had come back, but still we were not able to locate him."

Multiple teams were engaged in the intensive operation, including members of the district administration, the local trekking community, the Israeli rescue team, Israeli nationals, and friends of the missing person.

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