Canadian Paraglider Found Dead in Kangra Mountains After Going Missing

Megan Elizabeth, a 27-year-old Canadian paraglider who went missing after crashing in the higher reaches of the Dhauladhar mountain range on Saturday, was found dead on Monday, rescue officials confirmed.

Elizabeth had reportedly lost her way near the Himani Chamunda Temple, at an altitude of around 3,900 metres, before her glider went down close to Talan Jot.

According to officials, she had taken off from Billing for a solo flight and was expected to land at Chogan, but strong winds and poor visibility may have caused her to drift off course.

A search and rescue operation was launched on Sunday by the Baijnath administration, with assistance from members of the Bir Billing Paragliding Association (BPA), local mountaineers, and volunteers.

Rahul Singh, one of the rescuers, was the first to be airlifted to the area on Sunday evening. He reached the crash site later that night and found the paraglider wreckage. “The glider was completely damaged, and it appeared that the pilot had sustained fatal injuries upon impact,” an official said.

Authorities believe Elizabeth likely died from severe cold and injuries sustained while landing on rocky terrain.

Singh stayed at the site overnight in freezing temperatures with the body until additional rescuers could reach him. On Monday morning, five more team members were airlifted to the location. Together, they moved the body about 500 metres uphill to a suitable spot for aerial evacuation.

By afternoon, the body was flown to Gaggal Airport and was to be sent to New Delhi after post-mortem examination. It will then be handed over to the Canadian Embassy, which has been informed of the incident.

Officials noted that Elizabeth was not familiar with the terrain of the Dhauladhar region, where unpredictable weather and rugged topography have led to multiple paragliding accidents in recent years.

In the past five years, Kangra and Mandi districts have reported 26 paragliding accidents, resulting in 12 fatalities, including several foreign nationals. In a few cases, both the pilot and the glider were never recovered.