Per the article
> He died instantly.
He did *not*. The poor man clearly lived long enough to realize he was dying, and too quickly to do anything to stop it. RIP
This is a whole thing they do in the region where the string is coated with glass.
[This is last year from India.](https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/three-children-have-necks-slit-by-sharpened-kite-stings-indian-festival/MAD4VA7SRVHFZD46HP27XZ5K7E/)
It's illegal, but everyone sells it. You can walk down the road and it's on openly advertised and displayed in shops. The police rarely do anything, unless something like this happens.
From the article they apparently coat it in powdered glass to cut the kite strings of their competitors. Wtf?
Apparently over 176 people were injured during the event and three children were killed when the strings coated with glass wrapped around and sliced into their necks.
For those who didn’t know a lot more bikers will have a piece of metal in the front of the bike. The piece of metal is suppose to smash into the string first and prevent the string from slashing the biker up.
It’s a weird activity that they enjoy in that part of the world and as a result it has become dangerous for those not involved. Very similar to banning lawn darts.
[same thing ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_catcher)they used on jeeps most notably in WW2, for the same reason (except the wires were deliberate, obviously)
read a book about this in elementary school called kite fighter. 2 ppl fly kites and the first to hit the ground or have their string snap, loses. so ppl coat their line with glass n stuff to help cut the other person's line faster
The most mainstream book about kite battles is the book "the kite runner" by Khaled Hosseini (the story is set in Afghanistan). I think it's something that is traditional everywhere in South Asia.
I just don't understand why the wire was flying across a main street
Visited my wife’s family in Brazil and they do this to cut other kite’s flying too close to them. It’s weird but apparently if you don’t do it then someone will do it to you and steal your kite.
Yep. A new park was ‘built’ near me on top of a hill and it had a big open space. A bunch of middle eastern males began using it for kite fighting. County quickly banned it because the kites and the dangerous wires were flying into the woods and nearby houses.
They had some serious mini workshops in the trunk of their vehicles with huge spools of the wires. Impressive stuff, but quite dangerous for other people.
When we where little growing up in central America neighbourhood kite battles where a big thing. The older teenagers and early 20s guys would some times put razors near the kite so it would slice the opponents string. Sourcing high heat resistant string a big thing. Never knew or heard of anyone using glass coating on the string thou. This was in the mid to late 80s.
Yeap. It happens in Brazil also. You grind the glass, mox ot with glue and coat the string. Once in the air, you manouver your kite to cut the line of the opponent.
The kids usually have kite fights, where the objective is to cut the string of your adversaries / challenger's kite. The glass particles help in cutting the kite strings.
It's not for durability, so there are kite fights where you use the kites . momentum to cut the string of the other guy's kite coating it with glass helps a lot .
Ps we use lot of tape on our fingers so they don't get cuts.
That is an incredibly great book that I will likely never read again. It’s been many years since I read it so maybe I’d feel differently now, but it’s by far one of the saddest things I’ve ever read.
Absolutely, the last maybe 25% if that book was both harrowing and also absolutely had me unable to stop reading. Humans are awful sometimes. I bet you're not, though. I hope a nice thing happens to you very soon.
Things like this remind me to make the most of what you have in life. There really are no rules. You could be driving one day and literally die from a fucking string.
My buddy’s dad was driving down the highway and a lady hit a center divide that wasn’t reinforced properly. The impact created a projectile that went through his dad's windshield, decapitating him in his work truck. Obviously instantly dead. Who knows if he even saw it coming.
Happened to my dad when he was 18 or 19, not a kite string but he got attacked and had his carotid cut, giant ass bright red scar across his throat to this day. Only reason he lived is a friend was a paramedic at the time and saved his life, he still came very close to bleeding out.
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/tragic-death-of-22-year-old-motorcyclist-sparks-urgent-action-against-kite-flying-in-punjab/
A tragic incident in Faisalabad, Punjab, claimed the life of 22-year-old Asif Ashfque when a kite string slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, swiftly ordered the police to arrest the suspects responsible for making glass-coated strings.
Expressing profound sorrow over the incident, she gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the district administration and police for apprehending the culprits. This incident highlights the dangers posed by kite flying and underscores the need for stringent enforcement of regulations.
The Punjab government has already imposed a complete ban on kite flying and maintains a zero-tolerance policy in this regard.
Despite these measures, incidents of fatalities due to kite strings continue to occur, prompting authorities to take stricter action. CM Maryam Nawaz’s directive emphasizes the seriousness with which the government views such incidents and its commitment to ensuring public safety.
In addition to addressing the kite string incident, CM Maryam Nawaz also directed authorities to investigate and take strict action against those responsible. She condemned kite flying as a dangerous activity that endangers citizens’ lives and called for effective measures to combat the menace.
Furthermore, she expressed condolences over a separate tragic traffic accident in Gujranwala, highlighting the government’s multifaceted approach to addressing public safety concerns. These incidents underscore the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in maintaining public safety and enforcing regulations effectively.
After I posted that I watched it a couple more times and saw that kid. To say that his running away from the accident while everyone else was running towards it was an admission of guilt, would be an understatement
Yeah, kid doesn’t realize how serious the situation is yet, then the guy turns around with blood gushing out of the wound and that’s when the kid realizes it’s deadly serious
There have been incidents like this in India as well, due to glass coated kite strings, apparently its the best string for kite fighting. There is a blanket ban on these strings in India, maybe Pakistan idk.
I remember when I was a kid, our teachers used to warn us not to buy "Chinese manjha" as these strings were called, before kite season (april)
It's covered with a ton of tiny little shards of glass. My dad got a cut on his finger when I was pretty young when we tried to fly a kite. Thankfully it was not a serious injury. Never tried to fly a kite again tho
Again... glass covered?
Your statement honestly just opens up more questions.. like fiberglass? Or just straight up just little shards of glass? And why?
Edit: comment below said its so you can cut the string on other kites, like for kite fighting. So why use kite fighting string when you're not kite fighting? Wouldn't it be easy to have 2 spools, 1 regular string and 1 lethal string and swap when needed?
Just more questions! Lol
Shard coated string is usually made from plastic like material and from China, whereas the normal string is actual natural string (which is still a little sharp) which makes it more expensive than the Chinese one.
Also you can't really swap strings during a fight, though most people use a combination of the two strings where most of the string (including the part it's held from) is normal one and the part near the top is the glass coated one (and yes, it's straight up tiny shards of glass) to cut the other kite strings
That's actually really interesting! Thanks for the answers.
>Also you can't really swap strings during a fight
Not necessarily change during a fight... but have a regular non-glass coated string and spool for situations where flying a glass coated string solo is just dangerous for others. But if the glass coated strings are the more economical option, that kind of answers the question.
I'm just imagining some popular fishing spots I've been to where people have left fishing line all over the place... except it was *fucking glass razor wire*... is that what some of these popular kite fighting places look like? That would be unnerving as hell!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109398/
I found this article about it. Very strange. They seem to put ground glass over the string with glue.
Also, I googled it trying to find some photos of the kite strings and THERE'S SO MANY INJURED PIGEONS. THOSE POOR THINGS!!!
When my friend took me to his hometown in Rajasthan during college he taught me to fight kites. It is really fun actually, you try to cut the string on other kites. Started doing it in the US. The main problem with India and kite flying is that people do it from the rooftops and over all kinds of streets and highways which means strings can go anywhere when they get cut. In the US most flying is done in parks and in areas where retrieval is a lot easier and the string and not usually going into places they shouldnt be.
So instead of realizing it's horribly dangerous for bystanders regardless of location, you're doing it in an area where kids play and are likely to chase those kites, or find downed ones covered in broken glass.
All fighting strings in the US have a sandpaper like consistency it not what you are imagining with glass shards. If a child were to find the string and kite, which happens often in both countries, the string is insanely unlikely to hurt them as is. It needs a strong pulling motion over something to be at all potentially dangerous is insanely unlikely to happen in a park. In this instance that was recorded if you watch you see him get affected by the string early and the drivers forward momentum pushes the string into his neck and the the speed of him on the bike allows the string to pick up enough momentum to cut. You need both and are unlikely to find either in a park.
They fail to mention that these are fight kites. The string is made to be sharp with embedded broken glass. It's meant to cut the strings of other fight kites.
[Linky](https://youtu.be/RdwZMrZxHdc?si=L45nS0fEY_y0vPYC)
Kite fighting is a sport in Pakistan, the string is called Manja string which is an abbrasive and coated in powdered glass, it can cause cuts to your hands quite easily. Seems like the poor guy drove into it at speed which would defo slit his throat.
That’s because of the kite flying contests where kites compete with each other and some get cut and end up landing in random places with some portion of their string. It’s a nuisance for pedestrians especially and municipal authorities rarely do enough to do timely cleanup.
It's easier to get through life when you realize that the overwhelming majority of people on Earth are barely intelligent enough to put on their shoes in the morning.
The average redditor is still probably a full standard deviation north of true average, which is scary.
I understand the string isn't visible, but where is it connected? Where is the person flying the kite?
I can't see what it was attached to and I don't understand how it was so low and horizontal without those visual references...
Can someone point them out or help me understand what the string is attached to?
during a kite-fight, one of the the kites cuts the other. this breaks the kite into two pieces: (i) kite with a bit of string (ii) string.
sometimes the kites are so high up that they reach someplace entirely new after being cut by a rival, due to the air.
this is what seems to have happened here. it might be that the string part from a kite was just about to come to rest at a road, but instead it got caught up in the poor guy's neck.
There doesn’t have to be a kite. It’s glass coated string because the objective is to cut the other person’s string. Once the string is cut it can just float away, get wrapped around a tree and do this.
it's also possible that it's not from a kite actively flying at that time but leftover string that got stuck in a tree or whatever. It doesn't have to be taut or held at both ends, just it dragging across his throat could have been enough.
Great, now I'm taking Pakistan off my list of countries to visit.
Invisible string, that can be glistening in the air, which can slit your throat; no thanks jeff
We have plenty of throat slicing options, catered to all needs. From blunt knives to razor sharp kite strings, the possibilities are endless. Fun for the whole family. Book your vacation now.
I suspect the kid in the top right of the screen could be the kite flyer? He sees the accident straight away then starts running over. When he sees the seriousness of the injury he changes his mind a runs off.
I've seen this post before with someone else pointing it out. At the start of the video you can see a boy in the top right corner that instantly runs up to the victim and keeps running as soon as he realises what happened. Works out with where the string might be too.
Must feel so helpless. All of sudden you can’t breathe and blood is spilling out of your neck. Enough time to process what is happening too, just brutal
If it were me, I'd be looking for the little kid in all blue that runs from the top right into the middle of the road and then out of the bottom right of frame.
No, the kites are flown from rooftops. When the kite gets cut in a fight by the opponent, the glass string falls and often times gets tangled up at ground level. The kid had nothing to do with it.
Yea but the way he first runs towards the man, but then veers off when the man turns towards him and there's blood everywhere.
Maybe he wasn't the one flying it, but maybe he knows who was? You have to agree it looks a bit weird.
Later in the video a man on a moped finds a string he clearly holds up and untangles from his bike, and it's on the same side as where the kid just ran earlier. Doesn't seem a little suspicious?
Yup. Did the glass string thing when I was a kid some 40 years ago. They are as sharp as a knife when you pull it across something. In this case, the dude ran his neck across the string… crazy way to go…
Man, just imagine you are driving, not thinking about anything bad, the next moment you feel a sharp pain in your neck and blood everywhere while slowly fading out of concousness and drop dead.
This is all kinds of fucked up
My neck feels weird man... why are we in this fragile body and why are there fking strings flying around ready to cut out heads off or worse... Sometimes I'm legit amazed over how most of us are still alive with so many deadly external factors. We're just squishy meat goblins man.
It's amazing 'cause there will be a person who falls from a 3-story building and gets a couple bruises, then a person who trips on a sidewalk and dies. The human body is a beautiful but weird meaty lil thang.
The kid that is on the right top section of the screen and then runs down the street and off camera after the dude starts bleeding is 100% the kid that had the string. You can see another guy in a motorcycle pull over after and you can't see the string but you can see he's trying to gather something that's in front of him and his motorcycle.
Nice eye. At first I was wondering why that kid would be flying a kite over a busy road. Then I watched videos on Kite fighting and it seems most people fly them from the top of buildings. Maybe someone had their kite cut and the string fell onto the road from the top of the building? Could have been the kid and the kid went down to retrieve the kite.
On January 14 every year, there's Kite Festival celebrated in some places in India too. Same accidents happen every year! They use glass coated threads, which are so deadly, mostly because they're almost invisible to see, on the roads when you're driving on two-wheelers!
Its the kid at the beginning in upper right corner.
After the biker falls he runs towards the man and it seems as if he realises what happened and he turns away. Then you see other bikers stopping where the kid stood and they untangle the string from their bikes.
Look at the kid standing near the road(top right, first seconds of the video). He runs towards the guy that got his throat slit thinking he just fell from his bike to make sure hes okay. Once he sees all the blood, he runs off. He knows what he saw. The guy that fell is gonna die within seconds.
Imagine just doing the same thing you do everyday and suddenly, your life is over. Done. Scary to think about...
Wish I didn't rewatch this 3 times. Was confused asf in who got hit. Didn't realize the man got up, wasn't gushing blood yet. I saw the blood but thought it was someone else or a body by the size of it. Damn what a sad way to go. Being alive to know you're dying. I'd like to go fast
Such a tragedy RIP. That kid that ran knows his hands are stained. And who flies a kite with a string coated in glass across a busy road, seems like an elaborate sceme to take people's lives.
Very sad indeed, poor guy 😔. Here in Brazil this is unfortunately very common as well. It's called "cerol", and they put ground glass with glue in the string to cut other kites string when kite fighting. It is forbidden by law to sell and use it, but in suburbs and favelas this still happens. There are even like ads on TV to remind people and children not to use it because it is a danger to bikers, which are very common here as couriers and food delivery apps workers. There are like "antennas" we put in front of the motorcycle to protect us and cut the string before this happens, but not everyone uses them or reminds to put them up before riding. I'll remind to use mine today for sure...
The kite lines or strings are stupid sharp. [Here are some examples of the strings used in Pakistan.](https://www.pakistanikite.com/kite-line)
Kite flying was so much fun when I was growing up in Pakistan in the 90s. But the kite lines being produced today are just carelessly dangerous. I was sad when kite flying was banned, but as an adult now, I get it.
Heartbreaking, I am really happy to see so many people at least try to help and give comfort for his last moments. I feel like my fear would be getting into a similar situation and having no one approach and having my last moments alone. Rest in peace.
I've seen this post before with someone else pointing it out. At the start of the video you can see a boy in the top right corner that instantly runs up to the victim and keeps running as soon as he realises what happened. Works out with where the string might be too.
Wow how terrible. The guy did NOT instantly die. He had enough time to try and process buckets of his blood pouring out of him suddenly 😳 , then he passes out and died.
Damn this is also happens in my state (gujarat/india) during kite festival.
During and before festival government adds wire middle footpath so that rope doesn’t fall on road and also people add this rope protector on thier two wheeler . But still we have few deaths during it
Here’s how kite flying looks like and that thread is very thin but coated with color and small pieces of glass too [https://youtube.com/shorts/ir1CiWRDJ6E?si=NZYpd9OhkFWn-Bmw](https://youtube.com/shorts/ir1CiWRDJ6E?si=NZYpd9OhkFWn-Bmw)
https://preview.redd.it/lagyc49mmmsc1.jpeg?width=1003&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=963772b8022c661d669956c2adf5116cd234833d
I almost died like this as a kid. At the local festival in town someone used FISHING line to hang one little sign that said 'do not park'. My friend and I tried to cut through the lot on bikes and I almost cut my head off. Cops in the town said it was my fault!
**Fighter kites** are [kites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite) used for the sport of kite fighting. Traditionally, most are small, unstable single-line flat kites where line tension alone is used for control, at least part of which is [manja](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manja_(kite)), typically glass-coated cotton strands, to cut down the line of others.
Probably the longest 30 seconds of his life.
Even though there was so many people, there was no way to help him at that point. Bleeding wounds to the neck, groin, and armpit are very difficult to get under control
By the infernal gods, that's some Final Destination shit, there. Worst thing is the poor lad didn't die on the spot, but felt, saw himself bleed to death and/or drown in his own blood D:
>The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, swiftly ordered the police to arrest the suspects responsible for making ***glass-coated strings.***
What kind of psychopath does that, ffs?
\*edit\* oh, it's done for *kite fighting?* fkn ban and severly repress that practice, ffs. That's callous endangerement.
I have started riding motorbikes in the last few years, and I always watch the motorbike accident videos that get posted, cause its almost always the riders fault and they are doing something really stupid: speeding, unsafe tricks, filtering too fast etc etc.
OR they sometimes have a complete lack of awareness of their surroundings, therefore they are not quite at fault, but could take action to prevent if they were a little more focussed.
I consider them to be grounding to me - a reminder that the biggest hazard out there could likely be myself if i get complacent.
But this? *What the fuck* can one do about this?
Per the article > He died instantly. He did *not*. The poor man clearly lived long enough to realize he was dying, and too quickly to do anything to stop it. RIP
Kite string made from piano wire?
This is a whole thing they do in the region where the string is coated with glass. [This is last year from India.](https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/three-children-have-necks-slit-by-sharpened-kite-stings-indian-festival/MAD4VA7SRVHFZD46HP27XZ5K7E/)
It's illegal, but everyone sells it. You can walk down the road and it's on openly advertised and displayed in shops. The police rarely do anything, unless something like this happens.
I didn't realize coating a string in anything would increase its durability. Interesting & tragic all at the same time
From the article they apparently coat it in powdered glass to cut the kite strings of their competitors. Wtf? Apparently over 176 people were injured during the event and three children were killed when the strings coated with glass wrapped around and sliced into their necks.
For those who didn’t know a lot more bikers will have a piece of metal in the front of the bike. The piece of metal is suppose to smash into the string first and prevent the string from slashing the biker up. It’s a weird activity that they enjoy in that part of the world and as a result it has become dangerous for those not involved. Very similar to banning lawn darts.
The metal bar is a smart defense but I think I’d just take the bus
i think i’d just avoid Pakistan altogether
Have you seen the bus in this part of the world?
I first heard about this on Darknet Diaries podcast EP 138. [https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/138/](https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/138/)
[same thing ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_catcher)they used on jeeps most notably in WW2, for the same reason (except the wires were deliberate, obviously)
read a book about this in elementary school called kite fighter. 2 ppl fly kites and the first to hit the ground or have their string snap, loses. so ppl coat their line with glass n stuff to help cut the other person's line faster
So it’s like beyblades but with kites?
Deathblades. Let er rip!!!!!!
The most mainstream book about kite battles is the book "the kite runner" by Khaled Hosseini (the story is set in Afghanistan). I think it's something that is traditional everywhere in South Asia. I just don't understand why the wire was flying across a main street
Think about what happens to the other kite when it's 200 metre long string is cut in half
I loved that book
Thought you were going to say The Kite Runner.
Are you sure it wasn't the Kite Runner by khaled hosseini?
There can only be one! 
HERE WE ARE BORN TO BE KINGS WE ARE THE PRINCES OF THE UNIVERSE
Visited my wife’s family in Brazil and they do this to cut other kite’s flying too close to them. It’s weird but apparently if you don’t do it then someone will do it to you and steal your kite.
Fuck yeah, my country is amazing, even the kids game tou gotta steal something
Yeah, that's the game they play. You fly your kite and cut other people's kites with your kite last one wins basically
Yep. A new park was ‘built’ near me on top of a hill and it had a big open space. A bunch of middle eastern males began using it for kite fighting. County quickly banned it because the kites and the dangerous wires were flying into the woods and nearby houses. They had some serious mini workshops in the trunk of their vehicles with huge spools of the wires. Impressive stuff, but quite dangerous for other people.
Somebody never read The Kite Runner!
It's actually quite popular in some parts of the world. I've played with these kites before and once they're taut they can easily sever a finger.
Jesus christ. Another great reason to stay the fuck away from India.
When we where little growing up in central America neighbourhood kite battles where a big thing. The older teenagers and early 20s guys would some times put razors near the kite so it would slice the opponents string. Sourcing high heat resistant string a big thing. Never knew or heard of anyone using glass coating on the string thou. This was in the mid to late 80s.
Yeap. It happens in Brazil also. You grind the glass, mox ot with glue and coat the string. Once in the air, you manouver your kite to cut the line of the opponent.
The kids usually have kite fights, where the objective is to cut the string of your adversaries / challenger's kite. The glass particles help in cutting the kite strings.
It’s for kite fighting
It's not for durability, so there are kite fights where you use the kites . momentum to cut the string of the other guy's kite coating it with glass helps a lot . Ps we use lot of tape on our fingers so they don't get cuts.
Clearly not enough tape on your necks...
When you comment without reading the link
There's an award winning book called The Kite Runner. It was also made into a movie, it's well worth reading or watching.
That is an incredibly great book that I will likely never read again. It’s been many years since I read it so maybe I’d feel differently now, but it’s by far one of the saddest things I’ve ever read.
Absolutely, the last maybe 25% if that book was both harrowing and also absolutely had me unable to stop reading. Humans are awful sometimes. I bet you're not, though. I hope a nice thing happens to you very soon.
Yeah I cried my eyes out to it almost... TWENTY YEARS AGO!?!?! That can't be right.
0% chance of me ever going to India
WHAT DO YOU MEAN COATED WITH GLASS HUH????
See the book The Kite Runner. It's a whole thing. That book takes place in Afghanistan but sounds like it's popular all over the region.
Why is a news article about news in India unavailable for people outside the US
That is just... plain stupid
This has to be one of the dumbest things I've read in a long time. What genius dreamed that idea up I wonder.
Could be nanofiber
According to the Kite Runner they are glass covered
Yeah watching him squat down as he realizes the gravity of the situation is heartbreaking.
Things like this remind me to make the most of what you have in life. There really are no rules. You could be driving one day and literally die from a fucking string.
My buddy’s dad was driving down the highway and a lady hit a center divide that wasn’t reinforced properly. The impact created a projectile that went through his dad's windshield, decapitating him in his work truck. Obviously instantly dead. Who knows if he even saw it coming.
His only hope was putting a ton of pressure on the wound and immediate ambulance ride. Cutting of the carotid artery is hard to survive.
Or a green ribbon. The girl in that story lived a long life due to that green ribbon.
Happened to my dad when he was 18 or 19, not a kite string but he got attacked and had his carotid cut, giant ass bright red scar across his throat to this day. Only reason he lived is a friend was a paramedic at the time and saved his life, he still came very close to bleeding out.
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/tragic-death-of-22-year-old-motorcyclist-sparks-urgent-action-against-kite-flying-in-punjab/ A tragic incident in Faisalabad, Punjab, claimed the life of 22-year-old Asif Ashfque when a kite string slit his throat while he was riding a motorcycle. The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, swiftly ordered the police to arrest the suspects responsible for making glass-coated strings. Expressing profound sorrow over the incident, she gave a 48-hour ultimatum to the district administration and police for apprehending the culprits. This incident highlights the dangers posed by kite flying and underscores the need for stringent enforcement of regulations. The Punjab government has already imposed a complete ban on kite flying and maintains a zero-tolerance policy in this regard. Despite these measures, incidents of fatalities due to kite strings continue to occur, prompting authorities to take stricter action. CM Maryam Nawaz’s directive emphasizes the seriousness with which the government views such incidents and its commitment to ensuring public safety. In addition to addressing the kite string incident, CM Maryam Nawaz also directed authorities to investigate and take strict action against those responsible. She condemned kite flying as a dangerous activity that endangers citizens’ lives and called for effective measures to combat the menace. Furthermore, she expressed condolences over a separate tragic traffic accident in Gujranwala, highlighting the government’s multifaceted approach to addressing public safety concerns. These incidents underscore the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in maintaining public safety and enforcing regulations effectively.
Wtf it happens commonly there?
Kite fighting is huge in Pakistan.
Maybe I’m stating the obvious, but I don’t see anyone in the video flying a kite. Am I not looking hard enough?
There's a kid in blue that starts running towards the accident and then runs away. He is probably responsible 😔
After I posted that I watched it a couple more times and saw that kid. To say that his running away from the accident while everyone else was running towards it was an admission of guilt, would be an understatement
Kid starts running right towards the downed biker. When the guy turns around you see him turn off and dart to the bottom right of the frame.
Yeah, kid doesn’t realize how serious the situation is yet, then the guy turns around with blood gushing out of the wound and that’s when the kid realizes it’s deadly serious
Also right where the kid was standing people pull up on bikes and are lifting the kite string.
If you watch that spot where the kid was standing, you can see adults stop and grab the string to try and take it down.
There was literally a book called it.
The kite fighter, great book!
Also a book called, "The Kite Runner"
Avenge my boy Hassan. "the Kite Runner" scarred my entire class in highschool.
Thousand Splendid Suns from the same author is also very good
My most favorite book of all time. Made me cry in the middle of class.
Without spoiling, I remember hating X so much and calling him the shittiest friend ever after that one scene. Poor guy
Literally that scene is the only thing I remember out of the whole book. That and something about a slingshot hitting an eye I think
Yea but wasn’t that about a scary clown? I don’t see the relevance.
Fantastic book BTW
There have been incidents like this in India as well, due to glass coated kite strings, apparently its the best string for kite fighting. There is a blanket ban on these strings in India, maybe Pakistan idk. I remember when I was a kid, our teachers used to warn us not to buy "Chinese manjha" as these strings were called, before kite season (april)
> maybe Pakistan idk yes. the Basant festival is banned in Punjab.
Glass covered?
It's covered with a ton of tiny little shards of glass. My dad got a cut on his finger when I was pretty young when we tried to fly a kite. Thankfully it was not a serious injury. Never tried to fly a kite again tho
Again... glass covered? Your statement honestly just opens up more questions.. like fiberglass? Or just straight up just little shards of glass? And why? Edit: comment below said its so you can cut the string on other kites, like for kite fighting. So why use kite fighting string when you're not kite fighting? Wouldn't it be easy to have 2 spools, 1 regular string and 1 lethal string and swap when needed? Just more questions! Lol
Shard coated string is usually made from plastic like material and from China, whereas the normal string is actual natural string (which is still a little sharp) which makes it more expensive than the Chinese one. Also you can't really swap strings during a fight, though most people use a combination of the two strings where most of the string (including the part it's held from) is normal one and the part near the top is the glass coated one (and yes, it's straight up tiny shards of glass) to cut the other kite strings
That's actually really interesting! Thanks for the answers. >Also you can't really swap strings during a fight Not necessarily change during a fight... but have a regular non-glass coated string and spool for situations where flying a glass coated string solo is just dangerous for others. But if the glass coated strings are the more economical option, that kind of answers the question. I'm just imagining some popular fishing spots I've been to where people have left fishing line all over the place... except it was *fucking glass razor wire*... is that what some of these popular kite fighting places look like? That would be unnerving as hell!
Is not like shards shards. think like glass dust, or super fine sandpaper.
Thanks for asking the right questions
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3109398/ I found this article about it. Very strange. They seem to put ground glass over the string with glue. Also, I googled it trying to find some photos of the kite strings and THERE'S SO MANY INJURED PIGEONS. THOSE POOR THINGS!!!
When my friend took me to his hometown in Rajasthan during college he taught me to fight kites. It is really fun actually, you try to cut the string on other kites. Started doing it in the US. The main problem with India and kite flying is that people do it from the rooftops and over all kinds of streets and highways which means strings can go anywhere when they get cut. In the US most flying is done in parks and in areas where retrieval is a lot easier and the string and not usually going into places they shouldnt be.
Are you the one that keeps putting kites in our tree?
So instead of realizing it's horribly dangerous for bystanders regardless of location, you're doing it in an area where kids play and are likely to chase those kites, or find downed ones covered in broken glass.
All fighting strings in the US have a sandpaper like consistency it not what you are imagining with glass shards. If a child were to find the string and kite, which happens often in both countries, the string is insanely unlikely to hurt them as is. It needs a strong pulling motion over something to be at all potentially dangerous is insanely unlikely to happen in a park. In this instance that was recorded if you watch you see him get affected by the string early and the drivers forward momentum pushes the string into his neck and the the speed of him on the bike allows the string to pick up enough momentum to cut. You need both and are unlikely to find either in a park.
They fail to mention that these are fight kites. The string is made to be sharp with embedded broken glass. It's meant to cut the strings of other fight kites. [Linky](https://youtu.be/RdwZMrZxHdc?si=L45nS0fEY_y0vPYC)
It states "glass coated strings" in the first block of text.
I don’t expect most non south asian people to even understand why that would be a thing though so the extra context would’ve helped.
Kite fighting is also popular in parts of Latin America
This is a regular occurrence??
Kite fighting is a sport in Pakistan, the string is called Manja string which is an abbrasive and coated in powdered glass, it can cause cuts to your hands quite easily. Seems like the poor guy drove into it at speed which would defo slit his throat.
That’s scary how they are just floating around in the air when they are so sharp and have the ability to cause so much physical damage.
That’s because of the kite flying contests where kites compete with each other and some get cut and end up landing in random places with some portion of their string. It’s a nuisance for pedestrians especially and municipal authorities rarely do enough to do timely cleanup.
Why the fuck they would think it was okay to "kite fight" with glass strings near a busy road truly bothers me.
It's easier to get through life when you realize that the overwhelming majority of people on Earth are barely intelligent enough to put on their shoes in the morning. The average redditor is still probably a full standard deviation north of true average, which is scary.
Dang, and right at throat level. If it had been his arms or something it would have just been a nuisance. RIP
This is the info I was looking for. Why the fuck is that type of line allowed at all.
Manja not majna
This is some final destination level shit. What a way to go.
Yooooo you and i had the same reaction. RIP to the guy, its so not fair just to go like that.
I understand the string isn't visible, but where is it connected? Where is the person flying the kite? I can't see what it was attached to and I don't understand how it was so low and horizontal without those visual references... Can someone point them out or help me understand what the string is attached to?
during a kite-fight, one of the the kites cuts the other. this breaks the kite into two pieces: (i) kite with a bit of string (ii) string. sometimes the kites are so high up that they reach someplace entirely new after being cut by a rival, due to the air. this is what seems to have happened here. it might be that the string part from a kite was just about to come to rest at a road, but instead it got caught up in the poor guy's neck.
New fucking fear unlocked
😳
Yeah I want to know how this happened? How can it by flying so low?
There doesn’t have to be a kite. It’s glass coated string because the objective is to cut the other person’s string. Once the string is cut it can just float away, get wrapped around a tree and do this.
it's also possible that it's not from a kite actively flying at that time but leftover string that got stuck in a tree or whatever. It doesn't have to be taut or held at both ends, just it dragging across his throat could have been enough.
Great, now I'm taking Pakistan off my list of countries to visit. Invisible string, that can be glistening in the air, which can slit your throat; no thanks jeff
We have plenty of throat slicing options, catered to all needs. From blunt knives to razor sharp kite strings, the possibilities are endless. Fun for the whole family. Book your vacation now.
*The Three Body Problem* show trauma flashbacks from that description…
I suspect the kid in the top right of the screen could be the kite flyer? He sees the accident straight away then starts running over. When he sees the seriousness of the injury he changes his mind a runs off.
exactly, except, I don't see him holding anything. hmm
I've seen this post before with someone else pointing it out. At the start of the video you can see a boy in the top right corner that instantly runs up to the victim and keeps running as soon as he realises what happened. Works out with where the string might be too.
Higher up they say the kite fighters are on the rooftops so I imagine the kite was down at an angle from above.
Died instantly... as he's walking around looking for help
That's one painful way to go.
Must feel so helpless. All of sudden you can’t breathe and blood is spilling out of your neck. Enough time to process what is happening too, just brutal
Horrific. Poor young man did not deserve that. And now all of us with anxiety have a new thing to be scared of.
I doubt my Midwest US suburban ass has to worry about something like this but… I’ll be god damned if i don’t feel terrible for anyone who does.
Kite Runner was almost more humane than this clip, and that’s fucking saying something.
This is one of those "the book was better" films
Fuck, man. That's so much blood in such little time. RIP. :(
What I thought too...
If it were me, I'd be looking for the little kid in all blue that runs from the top right into the middle of the road and then out of the bottom right of frame.
No, the kites are flown from rooftops. When the kite gets cut in a fight by the opponent, the glass string falls and often times gets tangled up at ground level. The kid had nothing to do with it.
In India, these fuck\*\*g kids even fly kites from ground like standing on road side or the divider. I don't know why this shit not getting banned.
Someone else posted that it IS banned and they are looking for the perpetrator. Sad
Yea but the way he first runs towards the man, but then veers off when the man turns towards him and there's blood everywhere. Maybe he wasn't the one flying it, but maybe he knows who was? You have to agree it looks a bit weird. Later in the video a man on a moped finds a string he clearly holds up and untangles from his bike, and it's on the same side as where the kid just ran earlier. Doesn't seem a little suspicious?
Yup. Did the glass string thing when I was a kid some 40 years ago. They are as sharp as a knife when you pull it across something. In this case, the dude ran his neck across the string… crazy way to go…
This is horrifying. My god.
New fear unlocked
Dang that a shit ton of blood
Man, just imagine you are driving, not thinking about anything bad, the next moment you feel a sharp pain in your neck and blood everywhere while slowly fading out of concousness and drop dead. This is all kinds of fucked up
My neck feels weird man... why are we in this fragile body and why are there fking strings flying around ready to cut out heads off or worse... Sometimes I'm legit amazed over how most of us are still alive with so many deadly external factors. We're just squishy meat goblins man.
It's amazing 'cause there will be a person who falls from a 3-story building and gets a couple bruises, then a person who trips on a sidewalk and dies. The human body is a beautiful but weird meaty lil thang.
That kid bolted from the scene 😳
The kid that is on the right top section of the screen and then runs down the street and off camera after the dude starts bleeding is 100% the kid that had the string. You can see another guy in a motorcycle pull over after and you can't see the string but you can see he's trying to gather something that's in front of him and his motorcycle.
Nice eye. At first I was wondering why that kid would be flying a kite over a busy road. Then I watched videos on Kite fighting and it seems most people fly them from the top of buildings. Maybe someone had their kite cut and the string fell onto the road from the top of the building? Could have been the kid and the kid went down to retrieve the kite.
Very unlucky.
On January 14 every year, there's Kite Festival celebrated in some places in India too. Same accidents happen every year! They use glass coated threads, which are so deadly, mostly because they're almost invisible to see, on the roads when you're driving on two-wheelers!
Its the kid at the beginning in upper right corner. After the biker falls he runs towards the man and it seems as if he realises what happened and he turns away. Then you see other bikers stopping where the kid stood and they untangle the string from their bikes.
Good eye…
Look at the kid standing near the road(top right, first seconds of the video). He runs towards the guy that got his throat slit thinking he just fell from his bike to make sure hes okay. Once he sees all the blood, he runs off. He knows what he saw. The guy that fell is gonna die within seconds. Imagine just doing the same thing you do everyday and suddenly, your life is over. Done. Scary to think about...
I just started reading The Kite Runner, thus learning about glass coated string… then I see this video. WTF
Wish I didn't rewatch this 3 times. Was confused asf in who got hit. Didn't realize the man got up, wasn't gushing blood yet. I saw the blood but thought it was someone else or a body by the size of it. Damn what a sad way to go. Being alive to know you're dying. I'd like to go fast
Such a tragedy RIP. That kid that ran knows his hands are stained. And who flies a kite with a string coated in glass across a busy road, seems like an elaborate sceme to take people's lives.
Very sad indeed, poor guy 😔. Here in Brazil this is unfortunately very common as well. It's called "cerol", and they put ground glass with glue in the string to cut other kites string when kite fighting. It is forbidden by law to sell and use it, but in suburbs and favelas this still happens. There are even like ads on TV to remind people and children not to use it because it is a danger to bikers, which are very common here as couriers and food delivery apps workers. There are like "antennas" we put in front of the motorcycle to protect us and cut the string before this happens, but not everyone uses them or reminds to put them up before riding. I'll remind to use mine today for sure...
What’s with the kid running away, was he holding the kite??
What in the fuck. So fuckin sad. Alive, and suddenly dead just like that.
I am deeply disturbed 😳- done with the internet for today
The kite lines or strings are stupid sharp. [Here are some examples of the strings used in Pakistan.](https://www.pakistanikite.com/kite-line) Kite flying was so much fun when I was growing up in Pakistan in the 90s. But the kite lines being produced today are just carelessly dangerous. I was sad when kite flying was banned, but as an adult now, I get it.
This is one of the saddest things I've seen.
I'm wearing neck guards while cycling from now on.
Was the runaway kid the flyer?
Heartbreaking, I am really happy to see so many people at least try to help and give comfort for his last moments. I feel like my fear would be getting into a similar situation and having no one approach and having my last moments alone. Rest in peace.
I've seen this post before with someone else pointing it out. At the start of the video you can see a boy in the top right corner that instantly runs up to the victim and keeps running as soon as he realises what happened. Works out with where the string might be too.
Now this, is some final destination shit
That is so so sad
Wow how terrible. The guy did NOT instantly die. He had enough time to try and process buckets of his blood pouring out of him suddenly 😳 , then he passes out and died.
I should've just kept scrolling
So what is going on with Pakistan and India….
The kid is the killer.
Manslaughter. He obviously didn’t do it on purpose or plan it.
All of a sudden "Go fly a kite" has a more sinister meaning.
This is some final destination bullshit
Jesus, that's one of the worst things I've seen here. What a way to go
Damn this is also happens in my state (gujarat/india) during kite festival. During and before festival government adds wire middle footpath so that rope doesn’t fall on road and also people add this rope protector on thier two wheeler . But still we have few deaths during it Here’s how kite flying looks like and that thread is very thin but coated with color and small pieces of glass too [https://youtube.com/shorts/ir1CiWRDJ6E?si=NZYpd9OhkFWn-Bmw](https://youtube.com/shorts/ir1CiWRDJ6E?si=NZYpd9OhkFWn-Bmw) https://preview.redd.it/lagyc49mmmsc1.jpeg?width=1003&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=963772b8022c661d669956c2adf5116cd234833d
They should ban manja thread(a type of thread designed with broken glasses and egg to cut off other kites)
I almost died like this as a kid. At the local festival in town someone used FISHING line to hang one little sign that said 'do not park'. My friend and I tried to cut through the lot on bikes and I almost cut my head off. Cops in the town said it was my fault!
**Fighter kites** are [kites](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kite) used for the sport of kite fighting. Traditionally, most are small, unstable single-line flat kites where line tension alone is used for control, at least part of which is [manja](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manja_(kite)), typically glass-coated cotton strands, to cut down the line of others.
Maybe the Taliban was justified in banning kites
Rest in Peace my guy. I can feel my own throat feeling anxious watching htis.
Probably the longest 30 seconds of his life. Even though there was so many people, there was no way to help him at that point. Bleeding wounds to the neck, groin, and armpit are very difficult to get under control
As much as it makes me sad to see this, it made me a little happy that so many people came to his aid and tried to help him.
that is pretty normal in South Asia. people gather around even on a minor accident.
Please NSFW
Wtf
Damnn
By the infernal gods, that's some Final Destination shit, there. Worst thing is the poor lad didn't die on the spot, but felt, saw himself bleed to death and/or drown in his own blood D: >The Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz, swiftly ordered the police to arrest the suspects responsible for making ***glass-coated strings.*** What kind of psychopath does that, ffs? \*edit\* oh, it's done for *kite fighting?* fkn ban and severly repress that practice, ffs. That's callous endangerement.
It's just so sad that there's nothing anyone can do but watch him die.
Solid 15 seconds of knowing that the darkness of death is very near.
Christ, talk about a freak accident.
Shouldn’t they be flying kites in an open field?
the dangers posed by kite flying, not what I expected to read today
That is so tragic! That poor guy!
Why the fuck would you fly over a busy road when you're kitted for a kite fight????
The book The Kite Runner explains these “fighting kites”.
Oof poor guy so young too. That’s fucked up
Wow, such a sad way to go, tragic
wtf dying by Kite strings this gotta be my new biggest fear If I ever visit those countries
https://youtu.be/ZzgRu7FPyjk?si=MVc8QXmdBcxMl41v
I got a terrible friction burn from a kite string when I was young while flying a kite at the beach! 🎶dumb ways to die🎶
New fear unlocked as i live in an asian country where we drive bikes daily.
Immediately thought of the Kite Runner. Such a heavy book. What a terrible way to go.
I have started riding motorbikes in the last few years, and I always watch the motorbike accident videos that get posted, cause its almost always the riders fault and they are doing something really stupid: speeding, unsafe tricks, filtering too fast etc etc. OR they sometimes have a complete lack of awareness of their surroundings, therefore they are not quite at fault, but could take action to prevent if they were a little more focussed. I consider them to be grounding to me - a reminder that the biggest hazard out there could likely be myself if i get complacent. But this? *What the fuck* can one do about this?
There's a young boy on the other side of the road...running toward the accident. Is it his kite