11 Dead At Pakistani Kite Festival
Metal Kite Strings, Stray Celebratory Gunfire Claim Lives At Annual Event, More Than 100 Injured
24LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb. 26, 2007 | by David S Morgan
E-Mail Story
Print Story
Sphere
Share
Basant is a traditional kite flying festival to celebrate the return of spring, but which has often ended in tragedy because of razor-sharp wires many kite enthusiasts use, prompting a government ban in 2005. (Getty Images/AFP/Arif Ali)
(AP) At least 11 people died and more than 100 people were injured at an annual spring festival in eastern Pakistan celebrated with the flying of thousands of colorful kites, officials said Monday.
The deaths and injuries were caused by stray bullets, sharpened kite-strings, electrocution and people falling off rooftops on Sunday at the conclusion of the two-day Basant festival, said Ruqia Bano, spokeswoman for the emergency services in the city of Lahore.
The festival is regularly marred by casualties caused by sharp kite strings or celebratory gunshots fired into the air. Kite flyers often use strings made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to cross and cut a rival's string or damage the other kite, often after betting on the outcome.
Authorities temporarily lifted a ban on kite flying that was imposed following a string of deaths at the festival last year. Lahore Mayor Mian Amier Mahmood said the two-day permission to fly kites ended Sunday and that the ban has been re-imposed.
Police arrested more than 700 people for using sharpened kite strings or firing guns, and seized 282 illegally held weapons during this year's festival, said Aftab Cheema, a senior Lahore police officer.
Five of those who died on Sunday were hit by stray bullets, including a 6-year-school boy who was struck in the head near his home in the city's Mazang area, Bano said.
A 16-year-old girl and a school boy, 12, died after their throats were slashed by metal kite strings in separate incidents. Two people were electrocuted while they tried to recover kites tangled in overhead power cables, Bano said.
A 13-year-old boy fell to his death from the roof of his home as he tried to catch a stray kite, and a 35-year-old woman fell off the roof of her home trying to stop her son from running after a stray kite, Bano said.
Basant — which means yellow in Hindi — symbolizes the yellow mustard flowers that usually blossom in Pakistan at this time of the year.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Back To Top
RSS
Sarah Palin To Resign As Alaska GovernorAt Hastily Convened Press Conference Says She Will Not Run for 2nd Term, Mum On Future Plans
Gov. Sarah Palin Resigns
RSS
Day In Pictures
Historic Discovery
Comments [ + Post Your Own ]
Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not CBS News stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.
Reading your post brings to mind some of the 'side show' activities done by our young (stupid) kids in cars. The activity I speak of are those who drive in circles burning up their tires, called 'donuts' in the streets. Dozens if not hundreds gather closely to watch, and when someone loses control of their car it usually means some spectators get ran over.
The interesting thought would be if the folks in Pakistan look at that news and wonder, "what morons would do such a thing?"
This news story alone could be the basis for such a film! I'm telling ya', this would be the best horror movie that Steven King could only dream about! (and that would be one f'ked up dream).
Uh, dude, I think you need to sit down and take a few slow deep breaths. You are definitely about to lose it.
The story is about kites. I don't see anything in the article about Satan, Jesus, etc.
Get a grip, please. You're giving Christianity a bad name when you froth like this.