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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
A Paraglider Got Caught in a 'Cloud Suck' and Nearly Froze to Death Miles Above the Earth: Watch the Terrifying Viral Footage
A paraglider in China was swept 27,800 feet above the earth when he got caught in a rare updraft Now-viral footage of the incident shows Peng Yujiang, 55, flying through the air while coated in frost and ice Peng, who was somehow largely unharmed, survived temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees, as well as low levels of oxygenA paraglider in China survived getting swept 27,800 feet above the earth — a height typically reserved for commercial airliners. Peng Yujiang, 55, was testing new paragliding equipment on the ground in the northern province of Gansu on Saturday, May 24 when a rare updraft known as a "cloud suck" pulled him into a cloud formation, the BBC and NBC News reported. The entire experience can be seen in now-viral footage as he had a camera mounted on his glider at the time. The video, which was originally uploaded to Douyin, China's version of TikTok, shows Yujiang flying through the air at an extremely high altitude, his face and body coated in ice due to the extremely low temperatures. "It was terrifying … Everything was white,' Yujiang, who has been paragliding for four and a half years, told the China Media Group, per the BBC. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'I couldn't see any direction. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which way I was going. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning,' he continued. He added, "I wanted to come down quickly, but I just couldn't. I was lifted higher and higher until I was inside the cloud.' Temperatures at such altitudes can reach as low as minus 40 degrees, and Yujiang told the outlet that he may have lost consciousness during the ordeal due to a lack of oxygen. While speaking to state-run broadcaster CCTV News, Yujiang shared that he hadn't even planned to paraglide that day, and was simply testing the fit of the new equipment, per BBC. Yujiang also shared that his hands and face still felt numb from the incident, and noted that while his body was initially quite swollen, it had 'gone down a lot,' NBC News reported. 'My fear hasn't completely faded. I still feel uneasy when I think about it now,' he told CCTV News, before adding that he has plans to 'take a break' from flying for now. Yujiang almost broke the world record for the highest paragliding flight, which was set in 2007 during another accidental and near-fatal incident, when Ewa Wiśnierska, a German paraglider, was sucked into a tornado-like thunderstorm in Australia. Wiśnierska, who survived the incident mostly unharmed, drifted about six miles above the Earth for approximately 45 minutes. Read the original article on People
CBS News
3 days 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.
New York Times
3 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.
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Paraglider accidentally soars above the clouds in death-defying icy flight caught on camera
A 55-year-old paraglider has shared his survival story and video after being unexpectedly lifted by a powerful updraft into the upper atmosphere during a flight over the Qilian Mountains in China. Peng Yujiang, a certified B-level paraglider, reached an altitude of 8,598 meters without oxygen, and narrowly escaped death. What started as a calm session quickly turned dangerous when a sudden surge of wind pulled him into rapidly forming cumulonimbus clouds. He became trapped in the cloud system. Without an oxygen mask and with his face exposed, Peng endured freezing conditions as ice crystals formed. Peng says he suspects he may have briefly lost consciousness during his eventual descent.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese paraglider survives accidentally flying near height of Mount Everest
A 55-year-old paraglider in northern China's Qilian mountains survived against the odds after being caught in clouds and accidentally sent flying to an altitude of 8,598 metres (28,208 ft) above sea level.
