Invasion of the KILLER KITES
Deadly kite-fighting craze that claimed the lives of two children in India spreads to UK They f ly at f ive times legal altitude... and their razor-sharp wires nearly brought down helicopter
KITE-FIGHTING contests which have caused death and serious injury in India and Pakistan are being held in Britain, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found.
In the deadly sport, competitors try to cut down their opponents’ kites – typically flying at five times the legal altitude limit – using lethal glass-coated lines.
Earlier this year, one such mid-air duel in Kent ended in near-disaster when a kite became wrapped around a helicopter carrying four people. Its razorsharp cord damaged the rotors, windscreen and tail fin.
The collision happened between 1,000ft and 1,500ft and is being investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). By law, kites are not allowed to fly above 196ft.
‘It didn’t bring us down but we were very lucky,’ said the pilot. ‘Next time it could be fatal.’
There was a similar incident in June involving a light aircraft at Morecambe Bay, Lancashire.
Popular across South Asia, the sport featured in Khaled
‘We were lucky. Next time it could be fatal’
Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner set in Afghanistan. Numerous fatalities and injuries led to kitefighting being banned in Pakistan and parts of India, where last year two children died in separate incidents at the same festivities.
The razor-sharp lines, known as manja, cut their throats as they watched competitions in Delhi last year. A motorcyclist was also killed. More than 100 people were also hospitalised with kitefighting injuries during a twoday festival in Gujarat.
The Mail on Sunday has established that a number of kite-fighting clubs hold competitions in the UK on beaches. It is understood another one is planned for Kent this week.
Charlie Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover, said: ‘The authorities need to look closely at the information uncovered by The Mail on Sunday and take urgent action. It is of real concern that a member of the public could get hurt or worse. We can’t have a situation where people’s lives are put at risk.’
And Alok Goel, whose threeyear-old daughter Saanchi was one of the two children killed in India, said: ‘Perhaps people don’t realise the dangers. I appeal to the British Government to ban the sport immediately.’
Last August his daughter was with her mother Neha, watching India’s independence day celebrations when a ‘manja’ line fell from the sky. Mr Goel said: ‘The line wrapped around her throat. Before she could say anything, she started bleeding profusely and died within minutes.’
One UK ‘kite-fighter’, who belongs to a team in East London, said members order kites and the lines from Lahore in Pakistan. The spools cost £65, with up to 2,300ft of line.
The incident in Kent on February 19 involved a twin-engine Bell 206 helicopter flying along the coast near Sandwich.
The pilot said: ‘I saw a kite close to me and took avoiding action. I thought it had become untethered. When I landed, I discovered the damage to the rotors, windscreen and tail fin. The marks to the top of the fin showed that if it had made contact inches lower, it would have hit the tail rotor. That would have put me in trouble, as loss of tail-rotor control is a serious emergency in a helicopter.’
A CAA spokesman said: ‘This is the first time we have received a report relating to fighting kites. We take all reports seriously.’