Heli rescue of injured British paraglider at 4,000m in Kullu

Kullu: A 59-year-old British paraglider was airlifted from the remote Deo Tibba region of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh after being injured in a take-off accident at an altitude of around 4,000 metres.George Richmond was bivouac flying — a style of cross-country paragliding where the pilot continues flying over several days while camping in remote locations in the evenings — when he got into trouble. He took off from Bir Billing in Kangra district with a group of paragliders and landed at the base of Deo Tibba, the highest mountain of Kullu district at 6001 metres.According to officials, Richmond was attempting to take off again on Monday when his glider crashed, severely injuring him. Fellow paragliders immediately alerted the local administration and the British embassy was also informed. Rescue agencies immediately launched an operation. Two Air Force helicopters flew in to locate and evacuate the injured paraglider, said an official. Richmond was airlifted on Monday to Bhuntar Airport and then shifted to Kullu Regional Hospital.Officials said the rescue operation was very challenging due to the altitude and rugged mountain terrain. Manali subdivisional magistrate Gunjeet Cheema told TOI that the rescue operation was coordinated by the British Embassy with help from Indian Air Force. This comes less than a year after a similar rescue involving foreign paragliders near Manali. In Nov 2025, Austrian pilot Philipp Zellner, who was also on a bivouac flying journey after taking off from Bir Billing, suffered serious injuries following a crash landing near Rani Sui lake near Manali and had to be airlifted.