11 Dead at Pakistani kite festival

[devilscallmedad]

LAHORE, Pakistan -- An annual kite festival Sunday in eastern Pakistan has left at least 11 people dead.

Officials said two died after their throats were cut by metal kite strings. Kite flyers often use string made of wire or coated with ground glass to try to cut the strings of rivals or damage other kites.

The festival is also often marked with celebratory gunshots fired into the air. Five people died after being hit by stray bullets.

Two people were electrocuted when they tried to untangle kites from overhead power cables.

Two others fell from roofs. One was a boy chasing a stray kite. Another was a woman trying to stop her son from going after a kite.

Police arrested more than 700 people during this year's festival for using sharpened kite strings or firing guns. Officials said they also seized more than 280 illegally held weapons.

 

[Crow]

I hate these kind of festivals. They're stupid and irrelevant for every human being alive. And I may not know how to fly a kite, but I swear I don't really want to anyway.

 

[Chandoo]

yep, its basant time again

 

[Mowaza]

Sad - sad sad when will they ever learn...

 

[Stuge]

Yup,Really sad news

 

[Fahad007]

Inalilahi Wa ina elaihi rajayoon.
it's happend yearly and will happen again and again because we don't want to stop these things

 

[isa91]

Yaar Bassant is part of who we are Part of bieng a pakistani every spring flying a kite. Why should we change our culture.. We should BAN selling all kite string and all shop keepers found selling it will have their shops closed till after bassant. We should sell a light weight breakable string made from poly urethane so it can cut other kites down but cant cut through a humans neck.. The other element we should work on is making soem kind of enclosure around are roofs because little kids are little kids they dotn really understan a 30ft drop to death if we do these things we wont have emotional mother chasing their yuong kids of the roof.

It is Sad that this continues to happen and people defy athaurity to be "Cool"
When one of your best freind dies cuz you were bieng " cool" and bought a glass coated string.

When i was you i used a glass coated string and i would wear leather gloves but i was constantly monitored

 

[Crow]

Yaar Bassant is part of who we are Part of bieng a pakistani every spring flying a kite. Why should we change our culture.

BEEP!! Wrong answer. Basant is only and only part of PUNJABI culture of LAHORE. I've never seen Basant here in Hyderabad. Period. Infact, there is no period. Basant is a flashy attempt to adopt something out of the blues that doesn't really go well in a country like this.

We should BAN selling all kite string and all shop keepers found selling it will have their shops closed till after bassant. We should sell a light weight breakable string made from poly urethane so it can cut other kites down but cant cut through a humans neck

.. The other element we should work on is making soem kind of enclosure around are roofs because little kids are little kids they dotn really understan a 30ft drop to death if we do these things we wont have emotional mother chasing their yuong kids of the roof

.

Can you or I or anyone of us close all the shops? Or have any authority or power over any political party or something to be able to do anything close to that. Secondly, kids these days are not stupid. Ignorant, sure. But not stupid.

Thankyou very much for reading.

 

[iNF3RN0]

that's sad news, but it's not something I heard..it happens every year! lots of kids and adults lost their lifes..thanks to basant! I don't understand when they will learn from it?

 

[JChang]

They will never learn. I Hope and pray that this festivel is done in proper manar and in proper place.

 

[isa91]

woah Asaru yaar i had no idea it was only a Lahore thing lol yea cuz i never saw people celebrating in Peshawar or isloo

 

[devilscallmedad]

In other news 5 more died this time in Faisalabad.

 

[dejavu87]

i truly hate basant even though i am a punjabi..i hate it...it brings nothing but death....no offense guys

 

[devilscallmedad]

blaming something on a festival is ridiculous, its the crazy people

 

[isa91]

If proper precautions are taken it can be an enjoyable event. But the human element in all activities is always the most unpredictable one

 

[Crow]

I once attended a Basant event in Hyderabad. It was funny to see no one knew how to fly a kite XD, and almost everyone was enjoying the concert or just talking to one another.

 

[Lonewolf]

Though i am a Punjabi and Lahori but i think this kind of death game should be banned for life. My elder brother was involved in a accident once. The killer kite wire almost cut his throat, it was the blessing of God he survived. So yeah thats the main reason i hate basant.

Again this year people lost their loved ones, i bet the authorities are happy now.

 

[ahmedjunaid]

When will the lahoris learn ... so sad to hear... i think the ban was better before ...

 

[Black CoBra]

i think basant can't be totally banned but it's miseries can be made less by making efforts

 

[Chandoo]

i think basant can't be totally banned but it's miseries can be made less by making efforts

sure it can be banned completely, efficient police work will do that.