Paraglider dies following mid-air collision

A man died and another was seriously injured following a mid-air collision involving two paragliders in Shropshire.

The men crashed at the Long Mynd on Saturday afternoon. One died shortly after the accident, near Carding Mill Valley.

He has not been named but is from south Glamorgan.

The second man, believed to be in his 40s or 50s, was airlifted to hospital suffering from leg and internal injuries.

The accident, at about 2.15pm, was the second at the Long Mynd in as many days.

West Midlands Ambulance Se- rvice said one man was pronoun- ced dead at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham; the other was flo- wn there with internal injuries.

A spokesman said: "Two paragliders had collided in the air. Attempts were made to resuscitate one of the men at the scene. These attempts continued while the man was flown by the Midlands Air Ambulance to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the crew, nothing could be done to save the man."

Inspector Ray Harrison, of West Mercia Police, said a report will go to the coroner and the Paragliding Association will carry out a follow-up inquiry.

"There are no suspicious circumstances," he said. He asked witnesses to call police on 0300 333 3000.

Mark Dale, of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, said: "The investigation will take a few weeks."

On Friday a man, believed to be in his 50s, was airlifted to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital after hitting the ground while paragliding at the Long Mynd.