Mehsana: A three-year-old girl and a 35-year-old man died in different cities of Gujarat on Saturday amid Uttarayan celebrations after their throats were slit by the kite string, police officials said. Krishna Thakor (3) was killed after a kite string gashed her neck while she was walking home with her mother in Visnagar town in Mehsana district in the afternoon, police and her kin said.
"She was declared dead on arrival at a nearby government hospital," an official said. In another incident, Swamiji Yadav died after his neck was slit by a kite string when he was riding a motorcycle in Chhani locality in Vadodara city. "Yadav was coming down a bridge on his two-wheeler when a kite string cut through his throat, killing him instantly," a Chhani police station official informed.
Meanwhile, officials of the 108 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system said several cases of people getting injured by kite strings have been reported throughout the day across Gujarat. In separate incidents caused by kite strings, some people fell off vehicles. Instances of people falling off terraces while flying kites and getting injured were also reported, EMS officials added.
As per data, while 62 persons sustained kite string injuries, 164 were hurt after falling from heights and 400 sustained wounds in road accidents statewide till 5 pm on Saturday. These figures include 25 cases of kite string injuries, 56 road accidents and injuries in 36 cases caused by the fall from heights in Ahmedabad, they said, adding these numbers were likely to rise as the day progresses and more reports come in.
"Several birds and animals were also injured due to kite strings. As per the data collated from calls made to helpline numbers, 336 birds and 723 animals sustained injuries," officials said. (PTI)
