Dutch man killed in hang gliding accident during race in French Alps
A 65-year-old Dutchman died in a hang glider accident in the French Alps on Sunday. He was participating in a race from Mount Chabre when a sudden gust of wind damaged his hang glider, and he fell from a great height.
The accident happened at around 5:20 p.m. on Sunday, according to the French newspaper La Provence. The man fell 20 meters and landed in a field in the municipality of Val Buëch-Méouge.
The French fire brigade and rescue service responded to the field, but they were unable to do anything for the man. He did not survive the fall.
What exactly happened is unclear. RTL Nieuws reported that the hang glider’s canopy detached during a sudden gust of wind. According to NOS, the wind damaged a wing on the man’s glider.
For the race, the hang gliders jumped from Mount Chabre in the Hautes-Alpes in France. The mountain range is a popular spot for hang gliding and paragliding.
