The annual kite flying festival in India kills people, but the show must go on.
The Uttarayan kite flying festival was recently held in India. People know that it is a kite “fighting” festival, but unfortunately, some people also have to fight for their lives each time the festival takes place.
This year, six people were reported to have died – three of them were young children.
Their throats were slit by kite strings.
The object of the festival is to fly kites and cut through the kite strings of other participants using your own kite strings. It’s kite-to-kite combat. The cords are modified in order to do the job. Materials such as metal and glass are used, although they are not allowed. They are known as Chinese manjha and they are easily bought. They can cut through skin, and passersby can easily accidentally got sliced by a kite string.
A two-year-old victim was on a scooter with her father when she was cut by a kite string. She was rushed to the hospital but died on Sunday.
A three-year-old girl was on her way home when her neck was slit by a kite string, killing her instantly.
A seven-year-old boy was riding on a scooter with his parents when he died the same way.
Three men also died due to kite string injuries.
One hundred thirty people also suffered injuries from the kite strings and 46 people fell off rooftops and terraces while watching the event last weekend. As usual, there were also reports of birds and other animals being injured by the strings.
The human and bird casualties don’t stop authorities from holding the annual event.
Before the festival, police warned spectators and participants to be cautious of their surroundings due to possible accidents. This is not the first time that people have died during the festivals.
The annual kite festival is held in different areas of the country at the end of winter as a celebration of the season’s end.
