A viral video going round the web shows a Chinese paraglider on the verge of freezing to death after getting sucked into a ‘cloud vortex’ that left him stranded 5 miles high, covered head-to-toe in ice.
New York Post reported:
“The paraglider, identified in local reports as Liu Ge, claims the icy ordeal unfolded after he set off on the flight over the Qilian Mountains in northern China on Saturday, the Global Times reported.
He alleges he lost control of the glider soon after he jumped from a mountain spot roughly 9,850 feet above sea level and was quickly dragged into a sub-zero ‘cloud suction’.”
Liu can be seen trying to steer his glider with his face covered in ice.
“’I felt oxygen deficiency and my hands were freezing’, Liu reportedly said in the aftermath. ‘But I kept communicating via the intercom’.”
Temperatures dropped to roughly -40 degrees Fahrenheit while the oxygen plunged to dangerously low levels.
“Still, the paraglider said he miraculously remained conscious the entire time and eventually was able to stick a safe landing.”
A paraglider was sucked into a cloud and carried to over 8,000 meters above sea level in the Qilian Mountain region of Northwest China’s Qinghai and Gansu provinces. His entire body became frozen, but he fortunately landed safely. Relevant authorities have launched an… pic.twitter.com/kvEJbWPpLS
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 27, 2025
Liu suffered extensive frostbite and is recovering in a hospital, but is now under investigation since air traffic authorities hadn’t approved his flight.
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