Saudi paraglider plummets to death after parachute fails to open

Al Sufyani’s tragic death mourned by social media users

Dubai: Saudi security forces retrieved the body of a Saudi paraglider who plunged to his death when his emergency parachute failed to open during a jump from the heights of the Al Hada mountains in Taif.

Local media reported that the tragic accident happened when Amin Mutair Al Sufyani tried to jump off Jabal Al Kar on Friday evening.

Following the devastating incident, Twitter users launched the hashtag #TaifMissingParaglider while several videos went viral on social media showing the moment Al Sufyani jumped off Jabal Al Kar and then disappeared from sight.

Reports say he encountered a rough descent when his emergency parachute did not open due to strong winds.

The videos circulated on social media were instrumental in helping security personnel to locate the site of his fall in the rugged terrain.

The winds caused the paraglider to drify away from the safe zone toward where he was spotted by people. However, he failed to respond to calls over phone and a massive search was launched to find him. Police, with the help volunteers, eventually found his body following his fall in a rugged area at the bottom of Al Hada Mountain.

According to reports from his social media followers, Al Sufyani’s death was likely caused by a parachute malfunction. They believe that the parachute failed to open during the jump.

His brother, Redha, said Amin had a passion for paragliding and was a professional practitioner of the sport but bad weather could have been the cause of his tragic death.