Audio By Carbonatix
A kite-flying festival turned terrifying in Taiwan on Sunday when a 3-year-old girl became entangled in tail of giant kite and sent flying high into the air.
The international kite festival was being held in the city of Hsinchu, south of the capital Taipei.
Video of the accident, which circulated widely on social media, show several people preparing the large long-tailed pale orange kite for flight next to a crowd of viewers.
The kite is already billowing from the strong wind.Then, the organizers let the kite go -- and it flies up, along with a toddler dangling from its tail. It's not clear how close she was to the kite on the ground, or how she got caught in it.
Screams can be heard in the video as the child is lifted high into the air, being swung about wildly by the kite and wind. She was airborne for about 30 seconds before the kite was pulled low enough for audience members to grab and release her.
The child was in the air for about 30 seconds before she was lowered to the ground.
She was immediately rushed to the hospital with her mother and festival staffers, but miraculously only suffered minor injuries with abrasions to her face and neck, according to Taiwan's government-run Central News Agency.
She has since been discharged and is home with her family.In a statement on Facebook, Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien apologized for the incident, and said the festival was immediately suspended to ensure attendees' safety.
"We will review the circumstances to prevent accidents like this from happening again, and hold people accountable," he said.
The wind at the festival on Sunday afternoon was unusually strong, reaching a 7 on the Beaufort Scale -- meaning wind speeds ranged from 32 to 38 miles per hour (50 to 61 kilometers per hour), according to CNA. That's just one tier below one tier below gale-level winds on the scale.
Latest Stories
-
US seizes second oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast
7 minutes -
Australian PM announces intelligence review as country mourns Bondi attack
18 minutes -
Imran Khan and wife given further jail terms after state gift fraud case
18 minutes -
5 perish in fatal collision on Cape Coast–Takoradi Highway
30 minutes -
Poultry imports driving egg glut – GAPFA
1 hour -
Legal lifeline for Ghanaians in America as lawyers association, Embassy move to tackle diaspora challenges
2 hours -
Photos: First Atlantic Bank PLC officially listed on Ghana Stock Exchange
2 hours -
Energy minister assures stable power as Ghana hits peak demand in December
3 hours -
Miguel Ribeiro Fiifi Brandful
3 hours -
Adom TV’s ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ electrifies National Theatre in a festive extravaganza
3 hours -
Mahama orders $78m payment to Justmoh to resume Agona–Nkwanta road works
3 hours -
Christmas rush deepens traffic woes in Accra Central
4 hours -
Three arrested after viral video shows toddler being fed alcohol
4 hours -
Survivors ‘nervous and sceptical’ about release of remaining Epstein files
5 hours -
‘No room for egos’: Sam Jonah issues bold challenge to UCC graduates and Ghana’s future leaders
5 hours
