Seven dead at kite-flying festival

Pet

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8696545%5E1702,00.html

Seven dead at kite-flying festival
From correspondents in Lahore


SEVEN people were killed and more than 100 injured in Pakistan during the annual kite flying festival marking the arrival of spring, officials said today.

An 18-month-old girl's throat was cut by a stray kite string while she was travelling with her parents on a motorbike, witnesses said, adding that she died on the spot.

Three people were electrocuted when metal wires they were using to fly or catch stray kites fell on live electric lines, and two people fell from roofs, hospital officials said.

A 12-year-old boy died while trying to catch a stray kite when he was hit by a car on a main road, police said.

More than 100 people had been reported injured since last night in various kite-related accidents, medical workers said.

Officials at Lahore's Mayo Hospital said 42 children and 60 adults had been treated for injuries.

"One child was injured by a stray bullet," deputy medical superintendent Dr Saqib Shafi told AFP.

Though firing guns is banned, people celebrate the spring festival by firing into the air, often causing casualties.

Relatives of people killed or injured in kite flying accidents held a demonstration in Lahore last year urging the government to maintain its ban on selling and flying kites.

More than 20 people have been killed in kite flying accidents in Lahore since last year's spring festival.

Casualties and frequent power outages caused by metal wires falling over power lines forced the government to ban the sale of kites and metal wire, but those restrictions were lifted this month to celebrate the festival, officials said.

Is it wrong to find this a little amusing?

I'm SO going to hell for it..

RobertFoster

Pet wrote:

I'm SO going to hell for it..

Yes, yes you are.....you're going to be killed by a kite too...karma...

Hobbes

It is most likely an urban legend.

I can't find it on any other news site (google news). All the sources appear to link to the post you put up. These sites appear to have months in the differences of when the story happened.

But the AU site says breaking news, but has no date on the story.

http://www.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?/ubb/get_topic/f/25/t/000804.html#000000

spoon

does this mean that kite flying is now an extreem sport?
maybe soon all the younguns who are now skateboarding, will be kite flyers?

ShiverinEskimo

At least the horiible grating noise the feckin skateboards make will be replaced by the staisfying fry up sound as their kites come into contact with high voltage lines all across town. Will they still have to wear the same clothes as now though or will a whole new look come out of it??

Sleipnir

Happens every year.
Last year a girl was killed when a kite cut her throat when it hit her.
People also get killed when they step in front of cars while looking up.

CuLT

I saw a movie where people were sliced in half by a stray cable on a boat...

I will never go on a luxury cruiser in the early 1900s, you're asking for trouble.
The Doc had it right when he said the DeLorean needed to be destroyed!

spoon

ShiverinEskimo wrote:

Will they still have to wear the same clothes as now though or will a whole new look come out of it??

they'll obviously wear spandex!

RobertFoster

CuLT wrote:

I saw a movie where people were sliced in half by a stray cable on a boat...

lol, yes, I saw that too (can't remember the name of the film though...) - I found that very funny, the way they all look down, you can see them thinking "oh ****, I've just been cut in half" and then they all fall over...best part of the film IMO...

Magic Monkey

That was the intro to Ghost Ship.

Superman

Now folks!

thats why the taliban banned kites!

Hagar

Move it to Humour, its funnier than 99% of the stuff I post.

aidan_walsh

Hagar wrote:

Move it to Humour, its funnier than 99% of the stuff I post.

I'll second that (about Hagar, that is)

Hagar

Thanks. Pfffffftttttt my ego just deflated

penguinbloke

RobertFoster wrote:

lol, yes, I saw that too (can't remember the name of the film though...) - I found that very funny, the way they all look down, you can see them thinking "oh ****, I've just been cut in half" and then they all fall over...best part of the film IMO...

3rd Die Hard as well when they us the tow-line to get onto the ship that has the rediculously oversized bomb on board

Hobbes

Sleipnir wrote:

Happens every year.
Last year a girl was killed when a kite cut her throat when it hit her.
People also get killed when they step in front of cars while looking up.

Wow amazing and another girl got her throat cut this year when it hit her. :rolleyes:

Hagar

My sympathy goes to the poor man who was blinded by seagull shyte while watching his kite.

luckat

They put gum on the kite string and cover it with ground glass. The kite-flying is actually kite-fighting - the aim is to cut the string on competitors' kites with your own. And some of these kites are big soandsos, so with the drag of 100 metres or so of string, they can make a fairly powerful weapon at high wind speeds.

(The motorbike story reminds me of some army guys telling me about learning to water-ski on the canal, towed by a motorbike; as they passed some tall reeds there was an "eeeek!" and a *splash* as a fisherman threw himself flat to avoid being beheaded by the tow-rope.)