(Justin Kyllo/Facebook)

(Justin Kyllo/Facebook)

B.C. man dies in paragliding accident on Mount Kilimanjaro

Justin Kyllo was the owner of a restaurant and catering company in North Vancouver

  • Sep. 29, 2019 12:00 a.m.

A B.C. man has died in an accident in Tanzania, where he was taking part in an event where participants paraglide off the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

A tweet by Tanzania Parks, the agency that manages the African nation’s 16 national parks, says tourist Justin Kyllo, 51, died Saturday morning after an accident on the mountain at Stella Point.

Kyllo was the owner of Smoke and Bones BBQ, a restaurant and catering company in North Vancouver, B.C., which posted on Facebook earlier this month that Kyllo and his wife, Cheryl, would be taking part in the annual Wings Of Kilimanjaro charity event.

The event’s website says participants ascend Kilimanjaro’s 5,895-metre peak and paraglide back down in order to raise money for community projects in Tanzania.

A person who answered the phone at the restaurant Sunday said the family is asking for privacy and isn’t commenting right now.

Global Affairs Canada says in an email that consular officials are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information.

The Canadian Press

READ MORE: Man left with life threatening injuries after paragliding off Stawamus Chief

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