Canadian Dies After Falling From Zipline in Chiang Mai

Rescue workers move the body of a Canadian tourist who died Saturday after falling from a zipline in Chiang Mai province.
Rescue workers move the body of a Canadian tourist who died Saturday after falling from a zipline in Chiang Mai province.

CHIANG MAI — A Canadian tourist died Saturday after falling from a zipline in the northern province of Chiang Mai.

Police said the 25-year-old tourist fell to his death while riding a zipline in a forest at the popular tourist destination Mae Kam Pong. His safety locks broke, causing him to plunge more than 50 meters into a creek. He died at the scene.

Update: No Charges Filed Over Zipline Fall That Killed Canadian: Police

Zipline operator Flight of the Gibbon said it would take full responsibility and compensate the victim’s family.

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Workers at the zipline service said the safety locks broke shortly after the tourist took off from the starting point. Police suspect that the safety equipment could not hold his weight, adding that they found only three cables installed to hold customers, while there would normally be at least eight lines of cables to ensure safety.

The operator’s website states that people weighing more than 125 kilograms are not allowed to ride. There has been a discrepancy in reports about the tourist’s weight.

Maj. Gen. Pichate Jiranantasin, provincial police chief, said by phone Saturday evening that the tourist weighed about 180 kilograms, adding that the operator has been charged with fatal negligence for allowing such a heavy person on the ride.

A friend of the victim’s family, who do not want to be identified, however told Khaosod English via email that the number is incorrect. Some news reports also claimed he weighed about 125 kilograms.

Since 2016, Chiang Mai officials promised to improve safety standards of the many adventure tourism sites in the province following a string of serious or fatal accidents – including accidents at this very zipline operator. Flight of the Gibbon was ordered a temporary shut down after three Israeli tourists were injured after colliding into one another on the zipline and falling to the ground.

The same company had also been investigated in 2017 for having some of its properties built on protected forest land.

Chiang Mai’s zipline fatalities last happened in 2015, when two Chinese tourists died after falling from two separate zipline attractions, operated by Skyline Adventure and Flying Squirrels. Another Chinese tourist was injured while riding the Flying Squirrels’ zipline in 2016.

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Update: This article has been updated with additional information regarding a discrepancy in reports about the tourist’s weight.

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