Paraglider survives accidental 8500-metre-high flight without oxygen

Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang is fortunate to beryllium backmost connected nan crushed aft surviving a powerful updraft that abruptly lifted him into nan precocious atmosphere.

Peng reportedly went soaring 8598 metres supra nan Qilian Mountains successful China's Gansu Province without oxygen connected Saturday.

Amateur video shared by Chinese authorities media showed Peng pinch crystal covering his look and apparel while drifting successful nan clouds.

"I had conscionable bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to trial it, truthful I was conducting crushed parachute shaking. After a while, nan upwind abruptly picked up and lifted maine into nan air. I tried to onshore arsenic soon arsenic possible, but I failed," Peng told Chinese authorities broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV).

"I recovered myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. It was terrifying, everything astir maine was white.

"Without nan compass, I wouldn't person known which guidance I was heading. I thought I was flying straight, but successful reality, I was spinning. Eventually, I managed to alert retired toward nan northeast."

Peng says he was shocked to study he reached specified a precocious altitude and judge he mightiness person concisely mislaid consciousness, authorities media reports.

He has been paragliding for much than 4 years and is simply a certified B-level paraglider which requires astatine slightest 20 days of formation experience.

Peng was capable to power his paraglider utilizing his compass and power connection pinch teammates contempt having astir stiff and numb hands.

"As soon arsenic I came retired of nan clouds, I was very excited because I had survived," Peng told CCTV.

"The scariest infinitesimal was erstwhile I tried to propulsion retired of nan spiral and grounded and erstwhile nan canopy nosedived. It's still frightening to deliberation about.

"I'm not judge astir nan future, but for now I decidedly won't alert for a while," he added.

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