Six killed, 176 injured in kite flying incidents in Gujarat

A man flies multiple kites on a string. Representation pic/ANI

At least six people, including three children, were killed after their necks were slit by kite strings and 176 were injured due to cuts and falls while flying kites during Uttarayan (Makar Sankranti) festival in Gujarat, police said on Monday.

The incidents were reported over the weekend when people came out in large numbers to fly kites on terraces and rooftops during the festivities.

In several cases, revellers used sharp strings to fly kites that ended up getting entangled around the necks of the victims and slitting them in such a way that they bled to death, cops said. A kite string cut the neck of two-year-old Kirti who was riding with her father on his two-wheeler in Bhavnagar city, and she died during treatment at a hospital on Sunday, an officer said.

Also read: Mumbai: Over 900 birds survive death by kite string

In another incident, Kismat, 3, was walking home with her mother in Visnagar town on Saturday when a thread slit her neck. The girl was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared her dead, a cop said.

Similarly, seven-year-old Rishabh Verma was riding with his parents on a two-wheeler after buying a kite when his neck was slit by a string in Rakjot, a cop said.

According to the police, similar incidents were reported in Vadodara, Kutch and Gandhinagar districts, where three men lost their lives while travelling on their two-wheelers.

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