Terrifying moment parasailing rope snaps mid-flight: 'So hopeless'
A thrill-seeking couple got more than they bargained for when a rope snapped as they were parasailing at a tourist hotspot.
On Sunday, Ajit Kathad and his wife Sarla were tens of metres up in the air when the rope attached to their parachute, snapped.
The incident happened at Nagoa Beach in Diu, India, and was captured in a now-viral video.
The video was recorded by Ajit's brother, Rakesh.
"I was recording the video and had no idea what to do when the rope broke," Rakesh told the Times of India.
"I could see my brother and sister-in-law falling from a great height and I never felt so hopeless as I did at that moment."
Ajit told the Indian Express the rope snapped as he and his wife attained the maximum altitude and they were swaying in the air, unable to control the parachute before plunging into the sea.
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"While we remained afloat thanks to our life jackets, my wife was in a state of shock and couldn’t speak for a few minutes," he said.
"We requested help from the powerboat to which our parachute was anchored but they told us the lifeguards would save us. Around five minutes later, the lifeguards came on another powerboat and rescued us."
@VisitDiu @DiuTourismUT @DiuDistrict @VisitDNHandDD
Parasailing Accident,
Safety measures in India,
and they said very rudely that this is not our responsibility. Such things happens. Their response was absolutely pathetic.#safety #diu #fun #diutourism #accident pic.twitter.com/doN4vRNdO8— Rahul Dharecha (@RahulDharecha) November 14, 2021
Rakesh said he noticed the rope attached to the parachute was "weak" before his brother and sister-in-law were up in the air.
He said he told staff on the boat, but they told him nothing would happen.
Mohan Lakshman from Palms Adventure and Watersport told the Times of India such an incident had never happened in the past three years.
He said the rope snapped due to the heavy winds but said staff are "well-trained" to carry out rescue operations.
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