Bulgarian Paraglider Dies in Dharamshala Crash; British Pilot Rescued, Bir-Billing Flights Suspended

A 47-year-old Bulgarian paraglider was killed and his 63-year-old British companion was rescued after separate paragliders crashed near Rising Star Peak in Khaniyara, Dharamshala, authorities said.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of October 25, when the two foreign nationals, who had launched separately from the Bir-Billing paragliding site, encountered adverse weather conditions during their flights.

Information about the crash was received between 3:00 pm and 3:30 pm. The deceased was identified as Maksim Valentinovich Gavrilichenko; the British companion, Stephen Antony Purdie, was rescued without injuries.

A joint search-and-rescue operation was launched around 9:00 pm on Sunday by the District Disaster Management Authority, State Disaster Response Force, local police, district administration, and the Him Sanchar Rescue Team, continuing through the night and concluding around 10:00 am on Monday.

In the aftermath, the Bulgarian national’s body was recovered and moved to the mortuary at Zonal Hospital, Dharamshala, for a post-mortem examination. Police were completing legal formalities, and the exact cause of the crash would be established by investigation.

Following the incidents, the administration suspended solo paragliding activities at Bir-Billing for two to three days as a precautionary measure, prompting protests from pilots arguing for clear technical justification. The suspension is to be reviewed in consultation with pilots before any resumption of operations.