Sikkim paraglider crash: Kolkata boy still in ICU

TNN | Apr 5, 2018,  GANGTOK: The condition of the 11-year-old boy from Bhowanipore — Vivyaan Ojha — who was injured while paragliding at Gangtok on Tuesday has improved. Though he was still admitted in the ICU, his father said that the boy was better.

“He has multiple injuries, including in his ribs and pelvic bones. But he is responding to the treatment and his condition is stable now,” said Vivyaan’s father Sanjeev.

A student at St Xavier’s Collegiate School, Vivyaan loves to play tennis and has always been fond of adventure sports.

“He is never afraid of such sports. In fact, he was quite jolly and was waving at me while they were gliding,” he said, adding: “It is difficult to conclusively say what caused the incident. He was a trained pilot and there could have been several reasons for such incidents when the glider is in the air.

The incident, in which a paragliding pilot died while trying to control the glider, is the first such incident in Gangtok, claimed paragliders on Wednesday. Pilot Santosh Rai took off from Ani Gumpa near Gangtok — around 4,700 feet above sea level — for a 10-minute ride till Reshithang Sports Complex at 3,455 feet above sea level.

While Rai was around 200 feet above the sports complex ground, there was a sudden gust of wind in a different direction. Rai tried to steer and land safely. “There are different techniques like weight shifting and using the speed bar (similar to the accelerator in cars) to control the paraglider. He must have tried all options when he faced difficulty in flying,” said a paraglider who did not want to be named.

While touching down, Rai figured it could be fatal and tried to save the child. He bumped into the gallery and sustained a grievous injury, dying on the way to the hospital.

Vivyaan was also injured and was taken to the Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok.