Flashermac Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 11 Dead, Over 100 Hurt at Kite Flying Festival in Pakistan 26 February 2007 LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) â?? 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 â?? which means yellow in Hindi â?? symbolizes the yellow mustard flowers that usually blossom in Pakistan at this time of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 That is just totally insane! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 Much better than Songkran......what was it last year 650 just on the roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 asians can be pretty thick at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 New Year's Eve in the PI, 60 dead from fireworks the year I was there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidel Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 feel free to speak up infidel....oh i forgot you live in pakistan :smirk: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidel Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 Hi Phil. I'm not sure if you were joking, or if you really are a bigot. English people can be pretty f**king thick at times too. Stupidity isn't a racial trait, but then again, you're well aware of that, I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 i'm no more racist than your average pakistani, thai, american, etc etc......most people are racist to some degree, u dont have to wear doc martins and be signed up to the NF to be racist if the subject had been 237 english scared by bonfire night fireworks i'd comment on english being a bit thick too, pick up your dummy and get back in your pram! ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidel Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 ...pick up your dummy and get back in your pram! ! Come on Phil, you can do better than that, surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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