Two killed in paragliding mishap

GURUN: Two men who took off from Gunung Jerai on a paraglider around noon yesterday were killed after wind conditions suddenly changed and caused them to slam into rocks before getting caught on trees on a steep slope in the hilly area.

Mohd Hazlan Ismail, 32, from Kuala Lumpur and Liang Chong Kee, 52, from Kuala Ketil, Kedah died at the scene due to severe head injuries.

Mohd Hazlan, a policeman attached to the Simpang Empat police station in Perlis, was also a paragliding instructor with the Indra Kayangan Paragliding Club while Liang, his student, was a sub-contractor.

A witness who did not want to be identified said the sudden gusty winds cause their paraglider to be unstable, leading the pair to go into a nosedive into the cliff.

A paraglider himself, he said the victims were the last two to take off after six others had done so successfully earlier.

Kedah Fire and Rescue assistant director of operations Nazri Zakaria said they were alerted on the tragedy at 12.53 pm and a 30-strong rescue team arrived at the scene at 1.09pm.

He said the paraglider got entangled in trees at a height of about 50 metres and that the team was only able to bring the bodies down at 3.25pm.

He added that their bodies were sent to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar.

He also advised paragliding enthusiasts to notify the police and his department before embarking on paragliding activities for quick response in cases of untowards incidents.

They should also check on weather conditions because of their unpredictability in hilly areas, he added. - Bernama