Woman, instructor stuck on high mast lamp pole in paragliding mishap at Varkala escape unhurt

Paragliding instructor Sandeep; tense moments from when the duo were stuck on the high mast lamp pole. Screengrab: Manorama News

Varkala: Dramatic scenes unfurled on Tuesday at Papanasam beach in Varkala after a woman tourist and a paragliding instructor got stuck on a high mast lamp pole following a mishap during the leisure sport activity.

The two clung to the pole for their dear life for nearly one-and-a-half hours. They finally let go of the pole and fell from a height of 25 feet but landed safely on an elevated rescue net put up by Fire and Rescue Services officials.

While paragliding trainer Sandeep suffered a minor injury to his hand, the woman tourist from Coimbatore escaped unhurt.

The mishap happened when the glider they were flying hit the pole. There were reports that they were flying below the required height when paragliding.

However, trainer Sandeep told Manorama News that the accident happened due to a change in the wind direction and that he possessed a valid gliding license.

Following the mishap, the police summoned two officials of the paragliding company for questioning.

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