Eleven foreign paragliders who fell into the Fewa lake and its surroundings were rescued on Tuesday.

Paragliders from Russia, China, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Turkey lost control due to sudden change in wind direction while competing in the Nepal Open Paragliding Championship—qualifier for the World Cup Paragliding. They attempted to land in Khapaudi but the wind swept them away to the lake.  Seven participants fell into the lake near Khapaudi, two at Camping Chowk and one each in Chauthe and Armala. A Ukrainian paraglider was rescued as he was hanging onto a tree in Armala.  

A team of Armed Police Force from Barahighat, boat operators and the locals rescued them. “Our team reached the middle of the lake on a motorboat and rescued some from there,” said KB Brahmacharya, Senior Superintendent of APF at Muktibahini in Pokhara. Most of the victims survived as they were good swimmers which made the works easier for the rescuers, he added.

The competition has been postponed after the incident. As many as 100 paragliders from 26 countries are participating in the event. “The weather was good when we took off from Sarangkot. The swirling wind threw us to the lake. Luckily, I untied the ropes immediately and started swimming,” said a Russian paraglider.