CHITRAL: A search operation was under way in the remote, mountainous Oveer valley of northern Pakistan’s Chitral on Friday after a 55-year-old paraglider went missing when weather conditions suddenly deteriorated during a flight.
The missing man was identified as Asif Mehmood, a resident of Wah Cantt, a city near Islamabad. According to Zahiruddin Baber, president of the Paragliders Association Upper Chitral, Mehmood was part of a six-member group that took off from Zaini Pass, near the 7,708-metre Terichmir peak in the Hindu Kush mountain range, on Thursday afternoon.
About an hour after the group took off, weather conditions deteriorated sharply, Baber said. Five of the six paragliders, including Baber himself, managed to land safely.
Mehmood, however, continued flying towards Chitral city. Baber said the association remained in radio contact with Mehmood for about an hour and a half after take-off, but his signal subsequently went offline.
Authorities fear that the paraglider may have crashed or been forced to make an emergency landing somewhere in the rugged Barum hills, an area characterised by steep and difficult mountainous terrain.
Search resumes after overnight suspension
Rescue 1122 teams launched a search operation after Mehmood was reported missing. The operation was suspended overnight because of darkness and poor visibility but resumed early on Friday.
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Local volunteers and administration officials have joined rescue teams in searching the mountainous area, where difficult terrain and unpredictable weather are complicating the operation. Authorities have yet to establish Mehmood’s exact location or determine whether he made an emergency landing.
Previous paragliding accident
The incident highlights the risks faced by adventure-sports enthusiasts flying in Pakistan’s high-altitude northern regions, where rapidly changing weather and challenging terrain can make rescue operations particularly difficult.
Last year, two American paragliders were injured after crash-landing near Rush Lake in the Nagar district of Gilgit-Baltistan. The lake lies at an altitude of about 4,694 metres.
