A 57-year-old Austrian national died after a hang-gliding accident on the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea. The man reportedly passed away before an helicopter of the Greek Air Force arrived to his rescue.
The man was trapped in a steep and rocky slope above the beach Kathisma in the West of the island.
According to media, it was first rescuers from the Fire Service who approached him and transferred him to an area where he could be picked up by the helicopter.
Local media report that the Coast Guard, the Fire Service and aerial means were trying for hours to rescue the man who was hovering above a rock for three hours.
Rescuers had reportedly approached him and fixed the sail so that he would not fall on the rock. The injured man was still alive and even in position to talk to them.
Nobody could explain how the accident happened, those with knowledge of the sports suggest “wrong handling.”
Rescuers from the Fire Service EMAK managed to take him down and trasnfer with with boat to Agios Nikitas village. But it was too late. He had passed away.
The man had come to the island a couple of days ago together with friends from Austria. He loves the recreational sports.
