Staff Correspondent
CHITRAL: The paraglider who went missing after taking off from the challenging mountainous Zaini Pass in Upper Chitral on Thursday was found dead after crashing into the pasture of Over valley on Friday.
The 55-year-old paraglider, Asif Mehmood from Wah Cantt Punjab, had taken off from Zaini Pass for a flight but lost contact after the launch due to bad weather.
Chitrali paraglider Zaheeruddin Baber told Dawn that Mr Mehmood was part of a six-member group that took off from Zaini Pass, near Terichmir peak in the Hindukush, on Thursday afternoon.
He said the weather turned inclement about an hour into the flight. He added that five of the six paragliders, including himself, managed to land safely, while Mr Mehmood continued flying towards Chitral city.
Mr Baber said the association remained in radio contact with Mr Mehmood for about one-and-a-half hours after take-off, but his signal subsequently went offline.
A search operation was launched and the following day a shepherd spotted the body of the paraglider in the highland pasture of Over valley.
A search and rescue operation by the district administration, Rescue 1122, police and local residents had been launched in the area.
According to Rescue 1122, three paragliders took off together from Zaini Pass, but one of them suddenly disappeared during the flight near the mountains of Oveer Valley.
The paraglider lost contact with the ground team while flying in the area, raising concerns about his whereabouts. Rescue teams and local residents launched a search operation after receiving information about the incident.