Paraglider alert ends as a false alarm

QUEENSTOWN

CONCERN from a member of the public sparked a fullscale search for a paraglider near the Skyline Gondola in Queenstown yesterday.

Two police cars and two vehicles from St John responded to reports of a paraglider going missing among the trees at Bobs Peak.

A helicopter arrived shortly after 1.30pm and searched the trees for signs of a person for about an hour, before leaving.

A police spokeswoman said the paraglider had successfully landed in a gully, close to Bobs Peak, and it was false alarm.

Skyline Complex general manager Wayne Rose said a concerned member of the public watching from town had been worried the paraglider had hit a tree.

He said the shape of the peak could be deceiving for anybody watching the paragliders, but the person had landed safely.

PHOTO: MATTHEW MCKEW Concern for paraglider . . . St John staff and police are on standby at the foot of the Skyline Gondola, Queenstown, as a helicopter searches for a ‘‘missing’’ person. It turned out to be a false alarm.