At least six persons including three children were killed after their necks were slit by kite strings during the Uttarayan festival in Gujarat, India.
In a statement by the police 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.
At least 176 people were injured due to cuts and falls while flying kites.
Some participants used sharp strings to fly kites which ended up getting entangled around the necks of the victims, slitting their throats and leaving them to bleed to death, the police added.
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Tribune India reports that one of the victims identified as 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 another incident, Kismat, aged three, was walking home with her mother in Visnagar town when a thread slit her neck.
Two-year-old Kirti was riding with her father on a bike in Bhavnagar city before her neck was slit from the kite she was flying.
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Similar incidents were reported in three other areas, with three men losing their lives in the process.
The Uttarayan festival, or kite festival, one of the biggest in the Gujarat region, is celebrated from January 14 each year.
It marks the end of winter and ushers in summer. According to the Indian calendar, it is a sign that the sun is back and a call for farmers to celebrate the commencement of harvest season.
Kite-fighting contests are held across the western state of Gujarat, and frequently cause death and serious injury.
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The aim of the contest is to cut down other kites with kite string, which is reinforced with metal and sometimes glass powder.
A similar mishap happened in 2016 where three people, including two children, died after their throats were slit by glass-coated strings used for flying kites on India’s Independence Day.
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