Six People Die When Throats Are Slit From Kite Strings

Six people died after their throats were slit by the strings of kites during the Uttarayan festival in India. Officials in Gujarat also stated that 176 people faced minor cuts and falls during this festival which took place the previous weekend. The Evening Standard reported that a pair of young girls and a seven-year-old boy died after their throats were slit by the sharp kite strings, which have glass shavings on them. According to the newspaper, one of the victims was a two-year-old girl who had been riding a bike with her father when the strings got wrapped around her. She was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead on arrival, as cited by a police officer. [1]

Another victim was a three-year-old girl who had been walking home with her mother when her throat was slit by a thread that had been wrapped around her face. This kid was also declared dead at a local hospital. The seven-year-old boy who died was also with his family and riding on a two-wheeler with his parents after purchasing a kite. Along with the kids, there were three other men who also died due to Kite string wounds while they were riding on two-wheelers. The incidents took place in Vadodara, Gandhinagar, and Kutch. One of the biggest attractions of the Uttarayan festival has been kite fighting for ages. [2]

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176 People Injured While Flying Kites At Uttarayan Festival In India

Hundreds of people participate in this event- with revelers flying kites from rooftops and terraces. The main aim of this competition is to cut the kites of others with their own kite in a series of aerial combats. But kite injuries are not rare, as they often get snagged with spectators and other competitors. Interestingly, the kite cords are often reinforced with glass powder, shavings, and even metals, making the cord sharp enough to slice through human skin or even electric wires. 

Of the 176 people injured at the Uttarayan festival, 130 people suffered cuts from the kites, while the rest 46 got injured after they fell from heights as they tried to fly their kites in the state. The list of injuries due to kites is nothing new to this country. In fact, they are so ingrained in the culture that they featured prominently in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, where they were notorious for causing death and injury in India. In 2016, a couple of children were killed during this kite festival in Gujarat. One of them was three-year-old Sanchi Goel, the daughter of Alok Goel. The grieving father mentioned, “The line wrapped around her throat. Before she could say anything she started bleeding profusely and died within minutes.”[3]

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