Kite fighting accidents

Kite fighting is still a highly unregulated game and it is often played outside designated areas, e.g. close to traffic and powerlines. Also, accidents involving the abrasive line are commonplace in parts of Asia where kite fighting is popular since the lines are strong enough to cut not merely the finger of a player but the neck of a bystander as well. Kite fighting does not only pose a risk to the players themselves but to people not participating in the game.

To prevent injuries and deaths, several countries in Asia have implemented restrictions or bans on the use of abrasive lines, outlawed the use of certain materials or required motorcycle riders to employ certain safety devices during kite festivals.

Since 2003, police offers in Pakistans Punjab province have been instructed to threat kite fighting deaths as murder cases if the death is due to a person having his or her throat cut by a kite line that is metallic or coated with abrasive materials. The new instruction was prompted by several kite fighting related deaths in the province where throats were cut by kite lines. Some of the victims were small children.

Kite running, a pursuit closely linked to kite fighting, has its own set of risks. When a kite is cut lose, the traditional custom stipulates that ownership of the kite will pass to the person catching the kite. People especially children fixated on capturing a