Naval officer dies after glider plunges into the sea

KARWAR: A person, said to be a naval officer,  died when the paramotor  glider he was riding, plunged into the sea. His trainer was injured and hospitalised.The incident occurred on Friday evening  when the glider fell into the sea after it took off from Ravindranath Tagore beach.

The deceased has been identified as naval officer Madhusudhan Reddy, based in Kadamba Naval Base. According to police, he took off from Karwar beach along with a trainer. The mishap occurred due to sudden change in weather and the velocity of the wind.  

According to an eyewitness, Hussain, he saw the paramotor glider falling and raised an alarm. “I was just observing the glider when it was in the air. Suddenly, it started twirling like a frail kite. I raised an alarm to alert people,” he said.

The rider, whose legs were strapped to the paraglider’s sling, died of asphyxiation. However, there has been no reaction from the naval authorities.