WATCH | Girl, 3, survives wild skyride caught in tail of giant kite at festival

01 September 2020 - 12:18 By Reuters
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

 

A three-year-old girl entangled in the tail of a giant kite survived a terrifying ride after being swept more than 30m into the air during a kite festival in Taiwan, video footage posted on social media showed.

Horrified spectators screamed as the girl was catapulted high above them, where she spun helplessly at the end of the kite's long orange streamer as it soared and swooped in the high wind.

It took about 30 seconds before the girl's nightmare ended and she was pulled back to the ground by members of the crowd as the kite was brought back under control.

Identifying the girl solely by the surname Lin, local news reports said she suffered only minor cuts.

The distress caused by the near disaster persuaded organisers to cut short the festival in Hsinchu city.

A city official told media a sudden gust of wind at the site, which is know for strong winds, caused the kite's tail to wrap around the child's waist.

A video of the incident was shared by festivalgoers on social media on Sunday and quickly racked up millions of views.


subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now