Freak lightning kills paraglider
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Freak lightning kills paraglider*
Man sucked into electrical storm, partner pelted by orange-size hail
--Sky News
Updated: 10:37, Tuesday February 20, 2007
AUSTRALIA - A lightning strike killed a Chinese paraglider who was
sucked into the same powerful thunderstorm that a German woman
miraculously survived, it has been revealed.
He Zhongpin died during the freak storm which hit fellow paraglider Ewa
Wisnierska last Wednesday.
The 42-year-old victim was a member of the Chinese paragliding team and
had 10 years of experience.
Preliminary post mortem results showed that he was killed by a lightning
strike after being sucked into the tornado-like funnel.
Mr Zhongpin's body was found the day after the incident, 45 miles from
where he had taken off.
It had initially been suspected that he may have frozen to death or
suffocated at high altitude.
Both paragliders had been preparing for the World Paragliding
Championships, which begin on Saturday in Australia.
Ms Wisnierska survived her ordeal despite being encased in ice as she
was carried up to 30,000 feet - higher than Mount Everest - while flying
her parachute-like canopy.
She was hit by hail stones the size of oranges and blacked out for
almost an hour due to lack of oxygen.
Ms Wisnierska regained consciousness when she drifted down to 2,000 feet
and guided her own canopy to a safe landing.
She suffered severe frost bite and blistering to her face and ears after
enduring temperatures of -50C.
However she was released from hospital saying that she still hoped to
compete in the world championships.