A young man from the Vadamarachchi area in Jaffna reportedly got entangled in another kite’s string while flying his own kite and was dragged approximately 60 feet into the air. This incident, which occurred today (17), attracted a large crowd to the scene, who began shouting and giving various suggestions on how to save the young man.
While being pulled high into the sky, the string got tangled in a nearby palm tree about four minutes later, halting the young man’s ascent. This allowed him to avoid further danger and safely descend to the ground without sustaining any injuries.
Flying large kites and annual kite festivals have become aprt of life in Jaffna, and it is common for strong ropes to be used instead of the normal thread . Some enthusiasts even install electric motors to assist in flying these kites.
In a similar incident four years ago, another young man in Jaffna was pulled approximately 40 feet into the air after getting entangled in a kite string. However, he let go of the string and fell to the ground after about five minutes. In that incident, he sustained fractures to his legs and required treatment for over a month.
