A US national is among one of the two people who died after a paragliding accident along Kerio Valley in Elgeyo Marakwet County on Tuesday.
The 39-year old, Kimbery Ann, died alongside a Czech Republic national, Tomas Lednik whom they were paragliding with using the same equipment.
Ann has been living in Kenya for the last 17 years. She now has been a frequent visitor in Iten where paragliding is now common.
It is reported that they lost control of the flying device and fell on a rock at Kipkaa area in Keiyo North.
Area police boss Mwenda Meme confirmed the happening of the incident.
He said it took locals about four hours to retrieve the bodies of the two tourists at the point of accident dues the region’s rugged terrain.
“It took at least four hours for locals and the police to reach the area where the duo fell on due to escarpment’s rugged terrain,” he told the Star.
Preliminary investigations according to the police boss indicate that the two may not have undergone proper paragliding training before they took off.
Their bodies were taken to Iten County Referral Hospital mortuary for post mortem.
The police boss called on the county government and Civil Aviation Authority to suspend all paragliding operations in the region.
He said the authority should set clear guidelines which will allow for the continuity of paragliding.
The death of the two yesterday brings to a total of three deaths from the paragliding activities in the area.
On January 9, a 55-year old German national, Gerd Schegler, died on the same spot after his flying equipment failed.