As per the officials, at least six people, including three children, died after having their necks slit by kite strings, and 176 others were hurt when they fell and wounded themselves while flying kites during the Uttarayan festival in Gujarat.
The incidents were reported over the weekend as celebration-goers came outside in big numbers to fly kites on rooftops and terraces. According to the authorities, in a number of incidents, enthusiasts flew kites using the deadly string that became entangled around the victims’ necks and slit them so that they bled to death.
Two-year-old Kirti was travelling with her father on his two-wheeler when a kite string sliced her neck; she died on Sunday while receiving treatment at a hospital, according to a police official from the Bortalav police station.
Another terrible incidence occurred on Saturday in Visnagar town when 3-year-old Kismat was walking home with her mother when she had her throat slashed by a thread. When the girl arrived at the hospital, the doctors declared her dead.
Similar incidences were reported in Gujarat’s Vadodara, Kutch, and Gandhinagar districts, according to the city police. While riding their two-wheelers, three men died as a result of the lethal Nylon Manja.
According to data gathered by the 108-EMS Emergency Ambulance service, 46 people suffered severe injuries after falling from a height while flying kites on Saturday and Sunday, while 130 people had cuts as a result.
A spike in the number of traffic accidents also occurred, with 461 incidents on January 15 and 850 cases on January 14, 2023. With 59 kite string injuries and 10 cases of height-related falls, Ahmedabad had the most cases per district.