HANGZHOU, Zhejiang Province, June 11 (Xinhua) -- A contestant in a Birdman Rally held in east China's Hangzhou has died after drowning on Sunday, local media reported.h The man, whose identity was unknown yet, disappeared beneath the lake after landing and was only recovered from the water after 10 minutes.
"I saw him dive into the water and not come to the surface for seconds. Then I thought he might got drowned," a witness surnamed Cao was quoted as saying by Xiandai Jinbao.
"The contest was suspended right away and two frogmen came to rescue, but it took about 10 minutes before the drowned birdman was pulled out of the lake," he added.
Emergency rescue work were carried out on spot, according to Cao, and an ambulance arrived about half hour later.
Another witness surnamed Qin confirmed that the victim received emergency rescue on the boat, but he doubted the rescuers are professional medical staff.
"The victim was carried to the ambulance on a stretcher. His eyes were closed and his left hand was placed on abdomen with a obvious bulge," said Qin, adding the victim is about 40 years old by look.
Cao suspected that the victim's home-made aircraft was the main cause of the accident. "His aircraft's wings seemed very heavy and they, combined with inertia from diving, pushed him deep down into the water," he said.
Birdman Rally is a flight competition for human powered machines ranging from very serious aircraft to mere costumes.
Birdman rallies occur in multiple locations around the world, including Bognor Regis and Worthing in Britain, the Yarra River in Melbourne, Australia and Lake Biwa in Japan and in China, which has been created by regular entrants in the Bognor Regis event.
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