Six folks, together with three kids, have died after their throats had been slit by glass-coated kite strings throughout an annual kite-flying competition in India.

Hundreds flocked to terraces and rooftops to unfurl their kites in direction of the sky on the Uttarayan competition within the western Indian state of Gujarat over the weekend.

The victims reportedly bled to dying when the razor-sharp kite strings grew to become entangled round their necks, officers advised the Press Trust of India (PTI). At least one other 176 folks had been injured as a result of cuts and falls.

Some contributors are identified to coat their kite strings with powdered glass so as to slice their opponent’s cords whereas within the air. Although the apply has been banned since 2016, critics say it’s not often enforced.

A two-year-old lady reportedly died after a kite string struck her neck whereas using on a scooter together with her father, PTI cited an official from Bortalav police station as saying.

The little lady, identified solely as Kirti, is claimed to have died throughout remedy at a hospital on Sunday.

Another younger lady, aged three, was strolling dwelling together with her mom in Visnagar city on Saturday when a string slit her neck. She was rushed to a hospital however was declared useless on arrival, a Visnagar police official mentioned.

Rishabh Verma, a seven-year-old boy using on a scooter together with his mother and father, was additionally struck by a string in Rajkot, an official from Aji Dam police station mentioned.

According to police, comparable incidents had been reported in Vadodara, Kutch and Gandhinagar districts, the place three males misplaced their lives in comparable circumstances.

Nikunj Sharma, a campaigner for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) India, beforehand advised the Guardian that using “manja”, the nylon string used to fly kites as a substitute of cotton, could make accidents extreme. “Unlike cotton strings these are non-biodegradable, don’t break easily, and continue to cause injuries months after the festival,” Sharma mentioned.

In Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s largest metropolis, the police division issued an announcement cautioning towards utilizing the lethal kites forward of the competition.

“Do not use deadly Chinese manja to fly kites,” the assertion read. Police urged contributors to watch out whereas flying kites throughout the competition, saying the “momentary fun” of reducing one other kite might come at the price of somebody’s life.

However, Jayesh Shinde, an activist campaigning towards using manja, mentioned the federal government has did not uphold the ban and may compensate victims for his or her remedy.

“Citizens should not have to pay for the lackadaisical attitude of the government machinery. If the official ban is not being implemented, then the government should offer compensation to victims,” the Times of India quoted Shinde as saying.

The common competition marks the onset of spring the place kite-flying is usually used throughout celebrations throughout the nation.

Hundreds of birds additionally fly into the kite strings or are entangled in them, inflicting deep cuts to their wings, nerve accidents, fractures, dislocations and, in lots of instances, dying.