Aussie teenager Hussein Mearbany killed paragliding in Lebanon

7NEWS

20-05-2025

An Australian teenager has died and a paragliding instructor is allegedly on the run after a horror flying incident in Lebanon.
Hussein Mearbany, 16, was paragliding over Sahel Aalma, about 20 minutes north of Beirut, on May 10 when he slipped out of the lightweight aircraft and fell more than 300m to the ground, killing him instantly.
Authorities believe the teenager's harness was not properly secured and are working to track the paragliding instructor who allegedly went into hiding following the tragedy.
The owner of the paragliding company, which is based in nearby Jounieh, has been arrested, according to local media reports.
Hussein's cousin Sam Merbani told 7NEWS.com.au the teenager, from western Sydney, was just two weeks into a holiday with his mother and siblings at the time of the tragedy.
Merbani said a funeral was held for her cousin in the days after his death and the family made the decision to lay the teenager to rest in Lebanon.
'When his father heard the news he flew (from Sydney) to Lebanon to see him,' she said.
'The family arrives back to Sydney on the 21st (of May).
'The day they leave Lebanon is going to be the hardest day of their life.'
Harrowing footage provided to 7NEWS.com.au shows Hussein's final moments as he took off on the ill-fated journey.
In the video, the teenager can be seen strapped in front of the instructor as they ran off a the edge of a cliff.
Other videos circulating online reportedly show the teenager falling through the sky moments later.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian who died in Lebanon.
'We send our deepest condolences to their family at this difficult time,' DFAT said.
'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.'
Members of the Islamic community gathered in Mearbany's home suburb of Guildford earlier this month to offer their prayers for the teenager whose life was tragically cut short.
'(He) went to Lebanon for a holiday — full of dreams, excitement, and the energy of youth. Like many young men, he wanted to feel the adrenaline of flying, so he went hang gliding off the mountain peaks of Lebanon,' one tribute post reads.
'What was meant to be a moment of thrill became his final moment.
'May Allah grant his family patience and reunite them with him in the highest levels of Jannah.
'And as for us — still breathing, still planning, still distracted — take this as a wake-up call. The only promise in life is death.'