Swiss tourist dies from injuries sustained in Cape paragliding accident
A Swiss tourist tragically died in a paragliding accident near Tulbagh in the Western Cape on Thursday afternoon.
The 64-year-old man succumbed to his injuries following the paragliding incident—which has prompted an investigation by local authorities.
Western Cape police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana confirmed the tragedy, and said that an inquest docket has been opened by Tulbagh police to try and determine the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The victim was part of a group of five paragliders who departed from Piekenierskloof in Citrusdal earlier that afternoon, between 13:00 and 14:00.
According to Manyana, the group lost contact with the man during their flight. This prompted them to alert Skymed and initiate a search operation.
“Tulbagh police responded to an incident near Ontongskop on Thursday,” Manyana told IOL.
“The 64-year-old man was then found in the mountains and brought to Waterval Nature Reserve where he was declared deceased by the medical personnel.”
“A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death. An inquest docket has been opened for further investigation.”
Deceased man was a paraglider pilot
The South African Hang-gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) also confirmed the incident. They noted that no witnesses were present and were unable to provide further insight into what led to the fatal crash.
“On the afternoon of Thursday, 9 January 2025, a 64-year-old recreational paraglider pilot visiting from Switzerland died of his injuries after an accident near Porterville,” SAHPA stated.
“The Search and Rescue was coordinated by the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) and was conducted by Metro EMS Rescue and AMS.”
SAHPA concluded that the Accident and Incident Investigation Division (AIID) had been notified.