A Brazilian paraglider pilot has died in Pakistan following an accident in the remote Baltoro region of the Karakoram.
Witnesses said that Rodrigo Raineri, 54, suffered a collapse soon after launch and went into auto-rotation before hitting the ground.
The accident happened on Thursday 4 July. Local media later reported that Rodrigo’s body was recovered and taken to Shigar government hospital in Skardu. Skardu is the gateway town to the Baltoro region and the starting place for the week-long trek to K2, the second highest mountain in the world.
Rodrigo was an accomplished high altitude mountaineer, guide and motivational speaker who had climbed Everest three times. He had been flying for 17 years.
This was his first paragliding trip to Pakistan and he had recently shared on social media how excited he was to be flying in the big mountains of Pakistan, reaching a personal best altitude of 6,000m and reaching Ladyfinger Peak (6,000m) in a three hour flight. However, he’d complained of still feeling “weak” following a course of antibiotics for a stomach infection. He leaves behind a wife and a son.
Rodrigo’s accident happened in what is a remote, dramatic and beautiful part of the Karakoram mountains. The Baltoro region is home to the Baltoro glacier, at 63km long one of the longest glaciers outside the polar regions, and some of the world’s highest mountains including K2 (8,611m).
He was there as part of a small group of paraglider pilots who had paid well-known French adventure pilot Antoine Girard to organise logistics, permits to fly, and ground support for them.
Antoine, who was in the air at the time of the accident and flying ahead towards K2 base camp, said that the rest of the group had been briefed on the flight and the flight plan for the group was “safe and conservative”.
In a WhatsApp message sent from Concordia, which is on the way to K2 base camp, Antoine explained: “The weather was good on 4 July. All the members decided to fly. I instructed Rodrigo, Walid, Colleen and Romano to fly not further than Paju, as the upper part of the Baltoro requires more experience … The Askoli/Paju part does not present any particular danger. The plan was safe and conservative for all members.”
Following the accident two of the paying pilots left the trip while others continued on towards Concordia.
Arrest
In the fallout from the accident questions were raised by local authorities about the permits that the group had – leading to police arresting the boss of the trekking group contracted by Antoine.
Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi told local reporters that the group did not have the correct paperwork or permit to fly – a claim that Antoine Girard refuted.
However, as a result of the confusion over the permits police arrested the local tour operator that Antoine’s group was using. Ali Muhammad, the managing director of Alpine Adventure Guides Pakistan was taken into custody in Gilgit, the regional capital.
The Pakistan Association of Tour Operators strongly condemned the arrest of Ali Muhammad.
In a statement they said: “As a tour operator, Ali was responsible only for providing basecamp services to foreign adventure tourists. He had submitted and arranged the required government permissions and was issued a trekking permit in his company’s name for his clients.”
The statement added: “In adventure sports, particularly aviation sports, accidents often occur due to mistakes … The local tour operator bears no responsibility.”
Permits to Fly
Antoine rejected the assertion that he was responsible for Rodrigo in the air or the accident. He also refuted any suggestion that he knew or suspected that there was a problem with the permits.
Having flown ahead of the group to land at Concordia, he said he only learned about the accident by inReach satellite text message the day after.
In a WhatsApp message sent from Concordia Antoine explained: “We learned about the accident on the morning of 5 July. We contacted Ali immediately and he told us to stay at Concordia until he solved the problem.
“Going down to Skardu requires five or six days without phone or internet and we do not want to be accused of disappearing. We wanted to clarify the situation first, and then start walking down if required by the authorities.”
He said they only learned of the confusion over the flying permits on 7 July. “We are devastated to know about this and we want to clarify the situation.”
In a WhatsApp call from Concordia Antoine said: “We had numerous conversations with the agency about the permits. They said we had permission to fly where we did. Porters from the agency even came with us to the launch and helped some of the pilots take off.”
He added: “No one is responsible for the accident. When we fly it’s our own responsibility.”
He said that since the accident he and Veso Ovcharov, also on the trip, had been told by authorities to stay at Concordia where they could be reached by phone. He said they would start the five-day walk back to Skardu on Wednesday 10 July and would cooperate fully with all agencies. He said he would also work to help get Ali Muhammad released.
Guided Trips
In Antoine’s marketing material for the trip he is clear he is “neither a travel agency nor a paragliding guide or instructor” but rather positions himself as a “travel guide”.
On his website 8000Paragliding he explains: “My role is to organise all the logistics, pass on my knowledge of flying at 8,000m and in Pakistan in general. Everyone must be autonomous in flight and on the ground and take their own responsibilities. In no case are you guided or under my responsibility.”
Antoine has extensive experience paragliding in the region and was the first pilot to soar above an 8,000m peak. In 2016 he flew to 8,151m above Broad Peak, a feat he repeated in 2021.
On his website promoting the trip the price for a month-long combined trip to fly in Karimabad, a more accessible region for paragliding, and the Baltoro region, is listed at €8,800. A shorter 15-day trip to fly the Karimabad region only is listed at €2,000.
The accident raises issues around the viability of commercially guided expeditions to the Karakoram in Pakistan and the legally grey area around them.
Tom de Dorlodot, who is not in the region but has flown extensively in the area, most recently in 2022, said: “I was deeply saddened to hear of Rodrigo’s passing. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and the entire paragliding community.
“This tragedy reminds us of the inherent dangers of our sport, especially in such a wild and challenging place as the Baltoro glacier.
“Even with extensive experience, preparation, and planning, the risks remain high. I’ve never liked the idea of commercial guiding in Pakistan. It’s just not the right place for that. Let’s keep advocating for greater safety and responsibility in all our paragliding endeavours.”
This article was updated several times on 9 July to take account of new information as it came to light in a developing story
