Japanese national dies in paragliding accident in northern India

In a freak accident, a Japanese national died during paragliding in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh Friday, a senior police official said.

"The Japanese man has been identified as 38-year-old Makota Sukoma. He took off in a glider from Bir Billing, some 200 kms from state capital Shimla, but was killed after he lost control over it and crashed in a hillside," he said, on condition of anonymity.

In a critical condition, Sukoma was rushed to a nearby hospital by local residents, where he died of head injuries, the official said, adding the Japanese Embassy will soon be informed about the death.

A probe has been ordered into the incident and the body has been sent for an autopsy, he said. "We will hand over the body to the family members of the dead tourist or the Japanese Embassy after the post mortem," he added.

The hilly state is popular among foreign and domestic tourists for paragliding, though accidents are not common. However, two foreign nationals, a Russian and a British, died during paragliding around Bir Billing in the last one month. Endit