Fears are growing for the safety of a Polish paraglider who went missing in the Colombian jungle, as a search and rescue operation to find him enters its 12th day.
Dr. Witold Gilarski from the small town of Jarosław in southeastern Poland had been taking part in an international paragliding championship when he went off course and failed to reach his landing site.
A day later, on March 2, he managed to make a 20-second cellphone call to a colleague saying he was unharmed, had not been involved in an accident and was beside a river.
But contact was then lost and the 69-year-old has not been heard from since.
A day later, on March 2, he managed to make a 20-second cellphone call to a colleague saying he was unharmed, had not been involved in an accident and was beside a river.
But contact was then lost and the 69-year-old has not been heard from since.
#SNGRDPolicía | Junto a @alcaldiasfda @DagranAntioquia y Ponalsar de @PoliciaColombia, intensificamos la búsqueda y localización del parapentista Polaco Witold Gilarski, quien completa más de ocho días desaparecido en zona rural de Santa Fe de Antioquia.👮🏻🦺⛑️🦮#SNGRDSomosTodos pic.twitter.com/nWEJFE70TQ
— SNGRDColombia (@SNGRDColombia) March 10, 2025
Colombian authorities, along with hundreds of volunteers, launched a rescue mission to search 600 km of dense jungle, steep slopes and rapid rivers.
This includes drones from the U.S. and the U.K scanning the terrain with 250 volunteers looking through the aerial photos.
Fellow paraglider Brett Janaway, who has set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise money for more search equipment, said: “It’s one of the hotter parts of Colombia. However, it’s been raining most days, there are plenty of rivers, it’s not thick jungle—you can see people.
“I can envisage he’s near water, staying hydrated and in the shade. That’s the best-case scenario.”
Local authorities have also offered a cash reward for anyone who helps find Dr. Gilarski.
But despite the massive search effort, Colombian officials say they may now have to bring the operation to an end, with the paragliding competition organizer Luis Fernando Jiménez telling local media: “If it continues, it will only be for the next three days.”
Dr. Gilarski’s desperate wife Elżbieta said: “Every morning we wake up with the hope that this day will bring something new, that we will find out, that he is safe and that everything will end well.”
She added: “He always managed to get out of any difficult situation. He is simply strong and everyone says, if anyone, Witek will definitely manage.”
This includes drones from the U.S. and the U.K scanning the terrain with 250 volunteers looking through the aerial photos.
Fellow paraglider Brett Janaway, who has set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise money for more search equipment, said: “It’s one of the hotter parts of Colombia. However, it’s been raining most days, there are plenty of rivers, it’s not thick jungle—you can see people.
“I can envisage he’s near water, staying hydrated and in the shade. That’s the best-case scenario.”
Local authorities have also offered a cash reward for anyone who helps find Dr. Gilarski.
But despite the massive search effort, Colombian officials say they may now have to bring the operation to an end, with the paragliding competition organizer Luis Fernando Jiménez telling local media: “If it continues, it will only be for the next three days.”
Dr. Gilarski’s desperate wife Elżbieta said: “Every morning we wake up with the hope that this day will bring something new, that we will find out, that he is safe and that everything will end well.”
She added: “He always managed to get out of any difficult situation. He is simply strong and everyone says, if anyone, Witek will definitely manage.”
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