Video: SDRF rescues paragliders who crashed into Tehri Lake
What's the story
Two paraglider pilots were rescued by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) after they crashed into Tehri Lake in Uttarakhand on Thursday. The incident took place during the Acro Festival & SIV Championship Tehri 2026, an international paragliding event organized by Uttarakhand Tourism. The pilots lost control mid-air while performing acrobatic maneuvers and plunged into the lake.
Rescue operation
SDRF teams were pre-deployed
Special rescue teams of SDRF, which were pre-deployed as part of the event's security arrangements, acted swiftly. They reached the pilots within minutes and safely extracted them from the lake. A video of the incident shows two paragliders performing maneuvers mid-air before losing balance, spiralling downward, and splashing into the lake.
Twitter Post
Video of incident
A major paragliding mishap was narrowly averted at Tehri Lake during the Acro Festival and SIV Championship Tehri 2026 on January 29. Two pilots lost control mid-air and plunged into the lake, but the on-standby SDRF team swiftly rescued them using a coordinated operation. pic.twitter.com/UsUWarL2ee
— RB. (@rahul4bisht) January 30, 2026
Event update
Both pilots were unharmed
Both pilots were unharmed and received preliminary medical examinations before being shifted to a secure location. Despite the scare, the four-day festival continued as planned with heightened safety protocols and rescue measures in place. The event featured pilots from India and abroad performing intricate aerial maneuvers over the Tehri Dam reservoir.
Festival highlights
Day 3 of the festival
The third day of the Tehri Acro Festival 2026 showcased elite acrobatic paragliding maneuvers over scenic Tehri Lake. The official Instagram account of Uttarakhand Tourism shared a glimpse of Day 3, saying, "Precision, power, and fearless moves over Tehri Lake—this is acro at its peak." Under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's guidance, this year's event incorporated cutting-edge technology to create an innovative digital layer for visitors.