Coimbatore: Malleshwar Rao, a 53-year-old businessman parasailing at a college festival in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore, fell to his death from a height of around 100 metres as his safety harness was not attached properly. A video recorded by a spectator shows Malleshwara Rao taking off at the Codissia grounds and within moments, dropping and hitting the ground with a thud.
A police officer said “We are investigating. It appears the safety harness was either not latched to the glider or it was latched but snapped later. The organisers had not asked for police permission.”
The parasailing festival was part of a three-day function organized by the Coimbatore Medical College. Tickets for a turn were sold at Rs 500. Witnesses say Rao was hanging precariously with his safety belt unfastened to the paragliding gears. He was declared dead in a hospital. The private parasailing operator hired for the event, Glider Babu, is allegedly missing. The police are searching for him.