Dar Es Salaama (Tanzania): Canadian man has died in a paragliding accident in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, a popular tourist hotspot in East Africa, a Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) official said on Sunday.
He fell to his death after his parachute failed to open, Paschal Shelutete, senior assistant conservation commissioner at the state-run TANAPA told Reuters. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, is nearly 6,000 meters (20,000 ft) above sea level.
"The accident took place on Saturday at around 9am when the tourist's parachute failed to open. He climbed the mountain on September 20 and tried to descend it by paragliding," Shelutete said.
It wasn't clear where the deceased's next of kin have been informed. Paragliding on Mount Kilimanjaro is a popular activity, where tourists get a chance to mix wildlife safari with a paragliding expedition, and such accidents are rare.
Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually. Tourism is the main source of hard currency in Tanzania, generating around $2.5 billion a year.
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