Watch: Paraglider nearly freezes after vortex pulled him up to 28,000ft
A paraglider who nearly froze to death after his parachute pulled him 28,000 feet into the air is being investigated by Chinese police.
The man, known locally as Liu Ge, was left suspended in -40F temperatures while flying above the Qilian Shan mountain range in northern China on Saturday.
Body camera footage shows the canopy of his parachute being lifted by a current of warm air in an extremely dangerous phenomenon known as 'cloud suck'.
The 44-second clip shows Ge without an oxygen mask, his face and clothing encrusted with frost, desperately gripping onto the harness.
Despite being at nearly the same altitude as a cruising jumbo jet, Ge managed to retain consciousness and land his parachute safely.
'I felt oxygen deficiency, my hands were freezing outside... and I kept communicating via the intercom,' Ge told local media.
Ge had taken off for his flight from an altitude of around 9,800ft, according to local media reports.
Although the paraglider held a valid paragliding licence, Ge allegedly failed to file the necessary flight plan including obtaining airspace clearance for the launch site, according to reports.
Industry regulations restrict flights to below 16,000 ft with 9,000ft already considered an impressive altitude.
Those who breach regulations may be fined and even face criminal charges.
Police and aviation authorities in northwestern Gansu Province have launched an investigation into the incident.
Ou, a local paragliding enthusiast, said few people can survive such extreme altitudes and described Ge's mental resilience as 'extraordinary.'
'This is truly miraculous,' he said.
In 2007, Zhongpin He, a member of the Chinese paragliding team, was killed by a lightning strike after being sucked into a storm along with his partner Ewa Wisnierska in New South Wales, Australia.
Wisnierska managed to survive being pulled upwards 32,000ft and being battered by hailstones the size of oranges in temperatures of -40F to -50 ˚C.
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