Latest news with #updraft
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- 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
30-05-2025
- 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.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Chinese paraglider accidentally swept more than 28,000 ft above ground
A 55-year-old Chinese man was accidentally swept more than 28,000 feet over Northwest China while testing a paraglider harness. A powerful updraft of wind lifted him far above the tallest buildings in the world. NBC News' Steve Patterson has more on the dramatic accident.
CTV News
29-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Chinese paraglider survives accidental flight in the clouds without oxygen
A Chinese paraglider survived being accidentally propelled more than 27,000 feet into the sky in northern China. Chinese paraglider Peng Yujiang is lucky to be back on the ground after surviving a powerful updraft that suddenly lifted him into the upper atmosphere above the Qilian Mountains in China's Gansu Province Saturday. Peng reportedly went soaring 8,598 metres or about 28,208 feet without oxygen; amateur video shared by Chinese state media showed Peng with ice covering his face and clothes while drifting in the clouds. 'I had just bought a second-hand paragliding harness and wanted to test it, so I was conducting ground parachute shaking. 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 Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) Tuesday. 'I found myself surrounded by cumulonimbus clouds and trapped inside. It was terrifying — everything around me was white. Without the compass, I wouldn't have known which direction I was heading. I thought I was flying straight, but in reality, I was spinning. Eventually, I managed to fly out toward the northeast,' he added. Peng says he was shocked to learn he reached such a high altitude and believe he might have briefly lost consciousness, state media reports. Peng has been paragliding for more than four years and is a certified B-level paraglider which requires at least 20 days of flight experience, per CCTV. He was able to control his paraglider using his compass and radio communication with teammates despite having nearly frozen and numb hands, state media reports. 'As soon as I came out of the clouds, I was very excited because I had survived. The scariest moment was when I tried to pull out of the spiral and failed and when the canopy nosedived. It's still frightening to think about,' Peng told CCTV. 'I'm not sure about the future, but for now I definitely won't fly for a while,' he added. Written by Jennifer Hauser, CNN
The Independent
29-05-2025
- 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.
