Bangkok - A BASE jumper was left hanging
halfway up a Thai cliff for several hours after his parachute
got caught on jagged rocks hundreds of feet above the ground.
Locals raised the alarm on Monday after spotting Austrian
Johannes Klauser suspended from his chute on Khao Ok Thalu
mountain.
"He was hanging about 175 meters (575 feet) above the ground
... and must been dangling for five to six hours before being
rescued," said Apisak Ratchakwan, who operated a camera drone
used to help pinpoint his location.
A Thai climber managed to abseil down some 200 metres to
where Klauser was trapped, freeing him to complete his journey
down the cliff more sedately by rope.
Situated in the southern province of Phatthalung, Khao Ok
Thalu mountain has become a BASE jumping attraction over the
past year, Apisak said.
BASE jumpers use parachutes to jump off tall, static
objects, and the term is an acronym for 'buildings, antennas,
spans and earth'.