Paraglider dies after smashing into cliff face in NSW
A paraglider has been killed after taking off from a popular gliding spot south of Sydney and colliding into a cliff.
Emergency crews tried to retrieve the paraglider following the crash at Bald Hill Lookout at Stanwell Tops, near Wollongong, just before 3pm on Saturday.
A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed the paraglider, believed to be aged in his 50s, had died and the rescue had turned into a recovery operation.
She described the area as “quite inaccessible”, noting the fading daylight made reaching the body difficult.
"He hit the cliff hard, and dropped a significant distance toward the bottom," NSW Ambulance Inspector Norm Rees told the ABC.
NSW Police said the man has not yet been identified, and his body would be recovered tomorrow.
It is believed he was blown back onto the cliff face as he launched off the edge, then fell 170 metres to the ground.
SES crews said the recovery mission down crumbling rocks was complex and dangerous, and they had to tread carefully to ensure their own safety.
"There was a lot of checks and double-checks so we don't become patients ourselves," Inspector Rees said.
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