A paragliding trip in Himachal Pradesh took a frightening turn on November 10 when a Russian pilot got caught in high-tension power lines in Mandi district. He was left hanging hundreds of feet above the ground, with rescue teams racing to bring him down safely.The pilot, identified as 48-year-old Evakin Alexei, had taken off from Bir-Billing in Kangra district. During the flight, he reportedly drifted off course and his paraglider became tangled in electricity wires near Tandu village, close to Mehar, along the Pathankot-Mandi highway.Alexei was stranded at a height of around 150 metres, with little room to move. Any wrong movement could have made an already dangerous situation worse.Other paragliders and local residents spotted him and alerted the authorities. Alexei also managed to take photographs of his surroundings and share them with the Bir Billing Paragliding Association, helping rescuers identify his location.
A crane was brought in to reach the stranded pilot
With the pilot stuck so high above the ground, the rescue team had a difficult task ahead. The first step was to switch off the electricity supply to the 33-kV power lines to prevent the risk of electrocution.Officials, including the Mandi Sub-Divisional Magistrate, reached the spot as the rescue operation got underway. Since ordinary rescue equipment couldn’t reach the stranded paraglider, authorities arranged a 146-metre hydraulic crane from a nearby highway construction project.The Pathankot-Mandi highway was temporarily closed to heavy vehicles while the crane was brought into position.People gathered below also made arrangements in case things went wrong. Mattresses and tarpaulins were placed on the ground beneath the pilot, providing an additional safety measure during the operation.An SDRF personnel member and a trained worker then climbed into the crane’s basket and were slowly lifted towards Alexei. After spending around two-and-a-half hours suspended in the air, he was finally freed from the wires and brought safely to the ground.He was subsequently taken to the Zonal Hospital in Mandi for a medical check-up. Reports said he escaped major injuries.
Rescue video sparks debate over adventure sports safety
Videos of the operation soon began circulating on social media, with many people discussing how the incident happened and whether more needs to be done to make adventure sports safer in Himachal Pradesh.Some users felt the pilot should have been more careful while navigating the area, particularly given the presence of high-voltage power lines. Others questioned whether better safety measures and clearer warnings about such hazards were needed along popular paragliding routes.There were also people who defended the region’s infrastructure, pointing out that electricity lines are found in mountain areas across the world and that such accidents shouldn’t automatically become a reason to criticise adventure tourism in India.The rescue workers also received praise for the difficult job they carried out at such a height.While Alexei was fortunate to walk away without major injuries, the incident is a reminder of the risks involved in paragliding. A flight can change course in seconds, and when power lines are involved, even a small mistake can have serious consequences.