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This Article is From May 02, 2023

UK Man Arrested In Turkey After Paraglider Dies In Mid-Air Collision

Local news outlets in Turkey said their parachutes became entangled during descent at just 20 metres off the ground.

UK Man Arrested In Turkey After Paraglider Dies In Mid-Air Collision
The incident took place on April 29 in Turkey's Fethiye district. (Representational Pic)

A paraglider from the UK has been arrested in Turkey after a collision with two other skydivers that sent them plummeting on to a hotel roof. According to Turkish news website Hurriyet Daily News, 45-year-old Thomas Aitken was arrested after 30-year-old Orkut Baysal died following the mid-air disaster. The incident took place in Turkey's Fethiye district on April 29. Another paraglider, Andac Unsal, who also jumped with Mr Baysal, sustained injuries. The Turkish outlet said that the collision happened due to windy conditions.

Both Mr Baysal and Mr Unsal were performing a tandem flight at the same time Mr Aitken was doing a solo jump, said Hurriyet Daily News.

While the duo jumped from 1,700 metres above sea level, Mr Aitken made a single jump from a height of 1,200 metres.

The outlet said that their parachutes became entangled during descent at just 20 metres (65 feet) off the ground. The parachutes first hit the building of a hotel before landing on the edge of its swimming pool.

Local police and medics were sent to the crash site and they took injured paragliders to the Fethiye State Hospital for treatment.

But Mr Baysal, a national-level paraglider, could not survive the impact of the crash. Mr Unsal and Mr Aitken, however, were treated at the hospital and were in good health and their injuries were not life-threatening, as per Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkish police are investigating the cause of the collision and whether there was any negligence by those involved.

Last year, a British man died in a paragliding accident in the Spanish Pyrenees by crashing into a mountain peak called Pico Gallinero.

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