A Canadian tourist has died in a paragliding accident on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
According to Reuters, Justin Kyllo died after his parachute failed to open when he attempted to paraglide off the mountain.
‘The accident took place on Saturday at around 9am when the tourist’s parachute failed to open. He climbed the mountain on 20 September and tried to descend it by paragliding,’ said Tanzanian National Parks spokesperson Pascal Shelutete in a statement.
The 51-year-old restaurant owner and avid extreme sportsman was participating in a charity expedition with Wings of Kilimanjaro to raise funds for clean water and educational programs in East Africa. This was his third time he had climbed Africa’s highest peak, having previously summited in 2013 and 2016 for the same charity.
‘I am honored to be returning to Tanzania to participate in what most people would consider to be a journey of a lifetime,’ he wrote on the charity’s donation page.
This time he had returned with his wife and each of them planned to paraglide off the summit.
Also see: First-ever wingsuit jump in the Drakensberg
https://www.instagram.com/p/B04okkcnj0X/
The highest peaks in Africa sees about 50,000 visitors a year. Paragliding off of the mountain is allowed, with paraglider pilots from around the world making the trip to experience the highest top-to-bottom free flight in the world.
Image source: Justin Kyllo/Facebook
