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25th Aug 2019

Four-year-old girl dies in freak kite accident

Carl Kinsella

Kite accident

A four-year-old girl in India died earlier this week after a freak accident in which the string of a kite cut her throat.

The young girl had been the passenger on her father’s motorcycle when the horrific incident occurred, according to New Delhi TV. It is believed they were travelling to a temple at the time.

The girl was brought to the Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

There have been a spate of “kite deaths” in India throughout the last month, largely owing to the glass and metal coating that some enthusiasts apply to the strings of their kites.

Kite-flying is a popular past-time in India, and the dangerous strings, known locally as known locally as “manjha,” are used by some to damage to other kites.

A 28-year-old man died in similar circumstances earlier this year when a string cut his throat as he rode his motorcycle. Similarly, a young boy died after the metal casing on his kite was struck by lightning.

The government has tried to clamp down on this practice, saying anyone caught with such strings faced a five-year jail term and a 100,000-rupee ($1,400) fine.

A case under section 304A of the IPC has been registered and further investigation is underway, the police added.