Gujarat couple plunges into sea as rope snaps while parasailing in Diu

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, November 18

On a holiday in Diu, Ajit Kathad and his wife got saved as they escaped a mid-air accident without injuries. The couple were parasailing off the Nagoa beach in Diu on Sunday when the rope of the parachute broke and they plunged into the sea. The mishap has been captured in a video that is doing the rounds on the internet. Ajit Kathad, 30, and his wife Sarla Kathad, 31, had life jackets on and were rescued by lifeguards deployed at the beach.

In the mind-boggling video, one can see that within a minute after they were airborne, the rope connected to the powerboat that was dragging it snapped, leaving them unstrapped.

Ajit Kathad’s elder brother Rakesh, who was on the powerboat, is heard screaming in panic as the coupled plunged into the sea. As he shouts, the boat operator tells him, ‘kain nahi thay (nothing will happen).

He told The Indian Express, “I was recording the video and had no idea what to do when the rope broke. I could see my brother and sister-in-law falling from a great height and I never felt so helpless as I did at that moment.”

Lifeguards of Palms Adventure and Motorsports, the private firm that runs the parasailing service, eventually saved the couple.

“After the rope snapped just as we attained the maximum altitude, the parachute started swaying from one way to the other as we didn’t know how to control it. Seconds later, we plunged into the sea. 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. 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,” Ajit, a multipurpose health worker (MPHW) at the Ghed Bagasara primary health centre (PHC) in Mangrol taluka of Junagadh told The Indian Express.

Ajit’s brother, Rakesh, had even pointed out to the operators that the parachute rope looked worn-out but the operators in return assured him that nothing would happen. He was told that the frayed part of the rope would not be reeled out in the air.

Here’s the video:

@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

The couple went to the Diu police station to file a complaint but later decided otherwise. However, they said the Palms Adventure and Motorsports staff was very rude and irresponsible. They told The Indian Express, “The response from the service operator was very irresponsible. They said we were rescued and nothing happened and no one died. We asked them if they are waiting to do something after someone dies. We asked why they did not pay heed to my brother’s complaint about the weak section of the rope. But they were rude. Therefore, I went to the police station with the intention to lodge a complaint. But returned without filing a complaint as my family members were still in shock,” said Ajit.

The owner of PAM, Mohanbhai, blames the incident on strong winds. “It was an accident. The rope snapped all of a sudden, maybe, due to sudden strong winds, and the parachute remained unanchored for a while. But we had taken precautionary measures such as strapping the couple with life jackets and our lifeguards rescued them in no time,” Satvik told The Indian Express, adding, “As per safety protocols, we change the anchoring rope after every 100 flights. The rope that snapped was around 100-flight-old. But sometimes, the rope is cut by the edges of the winch (on the boat).” In parasailing, a parachute is anchored to a powerboat via a rope that is reeled in and out by a winch.”