A Russian man hit a cliff at a height of 20 meters while participating in a paragliding festival held in Mu Cang Chai District, located in the northern province of Yen Bai, last weekend.

A Mu Cang Chai District leader confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) on Tuesday that the accident had happened in Cao Pha Commune during the opening of the annual Khau Pha paragliding festival on May 30.

“A few seconds after taking off, the Russian pilot fell to the ground due to a disturbance in the air,” the district leader said.

Meanwhile, Cao Pha’s chairman Vang A Chai told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper that the pilot had mishandled the paraglider, leading to the accident.

A video recorded by a witness showed the paraglider wobbling in the air before bringing the pilot into a free fall hitting the cliff, causing many of the spectators to scream.

The victim sustained a minor back injury in the accident and is receiving treatment at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, according to the leaders.

The weather disturbance also caused another pair, a pilot with more than 100 paragliding hours and a tourist, to sprain their ankles during a landing at the festival.

After the two occurrences, authorities in Yen Bai Province and Mu Cang Chai District have requested relevant units to review and give thorough guidance on paragliding techniques to participants in the festival, and ensuring pilots and visitors are allowed to paraglide only when all safety conditions are met.

The Khau Pha paragliding festival taking place on weekends from May 30 to July 15 is aimed at promoting tourism in Yen Bai, in response to the ‘Vietnamese People Travel Vietnam’ campaign initiated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The fest covers paragliding shows and two-seater paragliding.

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