Latest news with #Gansu
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Paraglider survives being accidentally pulled 28,000 feet into air without oxygen
A paraglider in China has survived an unexpected climb to 28,208 feet in the air without oxygen after being caught in a powerful updraft, according to an account told to Chinese Central Television (CCTV). Peng Yujiang, an experienced paraglider, said he had been conducting a routine test of equipment just under 10,000 feet above the sea in northwest China's Gansu Province. "After a while, the wind suddenly picked up and lifted me into the air. I tried to land as soon as possible, but I failed," Peng told CCTV The 55-year-old man had found himself trapped inside a cumulonimbus cloud system, in a phenomenon described as "cloud suck", where strong updraft currents carry paragliders to dramatically high altitudes. Peng Yujiang was covered in ice during the incident which saw him lifted more than 28,000 feet into the air without oxygen CCTV "It was terrifying -- everything around me was white. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning," Peng told CCTV. He climbed to an altitude of 28,208 feet, which is nearly as high as Mount Everest, the highest mountain above sea level in the world. Footage from the flight's 360-degree camera shows the paraglider flying through thick clouds as ice forms around his exposed face and equipment. Although Peng appears calm in the video, he admitted in an interview with CCTV that the episode was deeply frightening. "It's still frightening to think about. I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while," he said. He was handed a six-month flight suspension, as the flight site and airspace had not been approved in advance.
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
A digital odyssey through Dunhuang with Fan Jinshi
The magnificence of Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves should be seen by the world. The issue has always been how to show them to more people, but still protect the delicate thousand-year-old treasures at the same time. Finding a solution to that particular quandary has been a life-time task for Fan Jinshi, honorary director of the Dunhuang Academy. As a result, she has been on the frontline of the historical landmark's digital preservation. During an exclusive interview with China Daily, Fan, dubbed the 'daughter of Dunhuang', shared stories from the digital odyssey undertaken to catalog and present the awe-inspiring content of the Mogao Caves. She hopes that, through the efforts of generations of researchers, their magnificence can be admired long into the future.
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Paraglider Peng Yujiang survives after being sucked 8km in the air over China
A paraglider has shared his extraordinary story of survival after being unexpectedly lifted into the upper atmosphere during a flight, reaching an altitude of 8,598 metres without oxygen, and narrowly escaping death. Peng Yujiang, 55, was conducting a routine equipment test on Saturday at a training site about 3,000m above sea level in north-west China's Gansu Province, when he was lifted in an unexpected updraft over the Qilian Mountains. "I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it. So I was conducting ground parachute shaking. After a while, the wind suddenly picked up and lifted me into the air. I tried to land as soon as possible, but I failed," Mr Peng told China Media Group. What started as a calm session quickly turned dangerous when a sudden surge of wind pulled him into rapidly forming cumulonimbus clouds. Despite trying to descend, he became trapped in the cloud system. "I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside," he said. "It was terrifying — everything around me was white. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which direction I was heading. "I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning. Eventually, I managed to fly out toward the north-east." Experts said Mr Peng encountered a rare and dangerous phenomenon known as "cloud suck", a condition in which strong convective updrafts carry paragliders to extreme altitudes. Inside such clouds, experts explained that temperatures can plummet to -40 degrees Celsius and oxygen levels are severely low. Without an oxygen mask and with his face exposed, Mr Peng endured freezing conditions as ice crystals formed on his face, body and equipment. His gloves were not fully zipped, leaving his hands numb and nearly frozen. Still, he managed to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates. "As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived. The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It's still frightening to think about. I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while," he said. Looking back at his flight data, he was shocked to learn he had reached 8,598 meters — far higher than he had realised mid-air. He suspects he may have briefly lost consciousness during descent. Mr Peng has been paragliding for four and a half years and holds a B-level licence — China's second tier in a five-level system, requiring at least 20 days of flight experience and a minimum of 40 individual flights. The Gansu provincial aeronautical sports association issued a report on Wednesday, local time, saying that ground parachute shaking does not require prior approval and that Mr Peng's experience was entirely an unforeseen accident. However, Mr Peng was still handed a six-month flight suspension, as the flight site and airspace had not been approved in advance. Reuters/ABC
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Chinese Paraglider Reaches Near-Record Heights — Over 28,000 Feet — by Accident
A paraglider in China who had intended to simply test some equipment instead ended up unwittingly reaching barely survivable heights last week. Peng Yujiang, a 55-year-old paraglider in Gansu province, on Saturday morning flew nearly 8,600 meters above sea level — more than 28,200 feet, or about 5.3 miles — in the Qilian mountain range of northwest China's Qinghai and Gansu provinces, according to state media. The episode was captured on a camera attached to his equipment and showed the harrowing conditions he experienced. Mr. Peng rose to a level almost on par with Mount Everest's summit and aviation flight paths. His face and body are covered in frost and ice in the video, which was originally posted to social media and later shared by Chinese state media. 'I felt the lack of oxygen. My hands were frozen outside. I kept trying to talk on the radio,' Mr. Peng said in a video recorded after the incident, according to Sixth Tone, an English-language, Chinese state-owned outlet. According to local news media, Mr. Peng was testing equipment as part of 'ground handling training' — a step that paragliders say is critical to managing safe launches — at an altitude of 3,000 meters above sea level, or about 10,000 feet. But a strong wind suddenly lifted him into the sky. He could not control the glider or land as the draft grew stronger and he was pulled up above the clouds. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Chinese paraglider survives accidental flight in the clouds without oxygen
By Jennifer Hauser , CNN Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang says he "definitely won't fly for a while" after surviving high altitude accident. Photo: CCTV via Reuters via CNN Newsource Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang is lucky to be back on the ground after surviving a powerful updraft that suddenly lifted him into the upper atmosphere above the Qilian Mountains in China's Gansu Province on Saturday. Peng reportedly went soaring 8,598 metres or about 28,208 feet without oxygen; amateur video shared by Chinese state media showed Peng with ice covering his face and clothes while drifting in the clouds. "I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it, so I was conducting ground parachute shaking. After a while, the wind suddenly picked up and lifted me into the air. I tried to land as soon as possible, but I failed," Peng told Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday. "I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. It was terrifying - everything around me was white. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which direction I was heading. "I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning. Eventually, I managed to fly out toward the northeast," he added. Peng said he was shocked to learn he reached such a high altitude and believe he might have briefly lost consciousness, state media reported. Peng had been paragliding for more than four years and is a certified B-level paraglider which required at least 20 days of flight experience, per CCTV. He was able to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates despite having nearly frozen and numb hands, state media reports. "As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived. The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It's still frightening to think about," Peng told CCTV. "I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while," he added. - CNN
