Paraglider who crashed into the weather station in Rila mountains has died

The paraglider who crashed into the weather station on Musala peak in Rila mountain died on January 8.

The cause of the accident is still unclear. The young man was among the best Bulgarian paragliders.

The rescue operation went on for several hours and involved mountain rescuers and later the Air Force with a Cougar helicopter.

The man was taken to a hospital in Plovdiv but, according to BNT sources, died on the way to the hospital. The hospital is expected to give more details.

The man had two broken legs and a suspected pelvic injury, Angel Kerkelev, head of the rescue base in Borovets, where the incident was reported, told reporters.

First aid was immediately given to the paraglider, and by chance there was a traumatologist on the scene who also helped. According to the head of the mountain rescue service in Borovets, the man was conscious all the time.

This is another rescue operation in Rila this year. On January 2, a 28-year-old hiker was injured in the area of Mount Kalin and had to be carried by mountain rescuers to Panichishte. The rescue operation lasted nearly 9 hours because of the difficult terrain.

After the rescue operation on Musala Peak: Was there a chance to save the paraglider?

A helicopter was summoned in the most expeditious manner in view of the severe injuries the paraglider had. The long time to reach Musala Peak and the transportation in this condition was impossible – the director of the mountain rescue service, Emil Neshev, told BNT morning programme on January 9. He commented on the tragic incident with the paraglider.

"It took about 2 hours - 2 and a half hours. I thank everyone who made this decision for the use of helicopter at our request. I can't say that there was a delay for the rescue operation, rather everything possible was done and that was the absolutely realistic time that a military helicopter can go up into the air - it just takes time. Making a decision to use the helicopter, means the situation was really critical. If it had been quicker, there might have been a chance that the young man would have lived," explained Emil Neshev, director of the Mountain Rescue Service.

According to him, there was no witness to the incident, except for the meteorologist on Mount Musala, who is also a rescuer from the volunteer unit from Samokov. While he was having lunch, he heard a bang and the noise of a broken window and saw the paraglider going in through the broken window. It was a big shock for everyone. There is no way to say what exactly happened, Neshev added.