A man and a woman holidaying on Russia's Black Sea coast suffered electric shock and broken bones after wind blew their parasail off course, tangling it in power lines in front of hundreds of horrified onlookers.

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon, at the beach resort of Dzhubga, located between Sochi and Novorossiysk, where paragliding is a popular but poorly-regulated activity.

Investigators say that the man operating the speedboat that drags the parasail came too close to the coast, allowing it to be move over land.

The video, apparently taken by other beach goers anticipating that something may go wrong, shows the parasail traveling back towards the water, as its ropes become stuck on the live transmission cables running along the coast.

For several moments the couple is suspended helplessly in the air, but as they make contact there are several flashes of light and a loud bang, as the cables break, and the man and woman are sent tumbling uncontrollably in the air, before landing on the sand as screams and curses are heard in background.

The man, from Orel in southern Russia, has been taken into emergency in serious condition, and has broken multiple ribs, while the woman suffered a broken nose, and has bruises and cuts all over her body, reported Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

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The media outlets also noted that while paramedics were helping the injured couple on the beach, the driver of the speedboat disappeared, while other beachside activity operators also packed up their wares and quickly escaped.

Police have opened an investigation, and the culprits could be charged with providing an unsafe service.