A 3-year-old girl is recovering after a kite launched her hundreds of feet into the air for a, no doubt, terrifying ride that lasted for 30 seconds. The child was accidentally entangled in the kite when it pulled her from the ground this past weekend.
The toddler, identified only by her last name, Lin was attending the International Kite Festival in Hsinchu city in northwestern Taiwan on Sunday, Reuters reports. The terrifying ordeal was caught on video and went viral on social media following the event. One video had already been viewed 2 million times in less than 48 hours since posting.
Watch, as 3-year-old Lin his pulled from the ground and flung through the air. We warn you the video might be disturbing for some viewers.
In the video, you can see event staffers prepare the kite before letting it go for it to take flight. Joyful cheers turned into screams of despair as spectators realized a little girl caught by the kite’s tail.
The girl sails 100 feet into the sky for a ride that lasted 30 seconds. After what seems like an eternity, the little girl finally comes low enough to the ground for onlookers to grab her and bring her to Earth.
A few videos were captured of the kite event, here’s another view. It’s just as disturbing, so be warned.
Somehow, little Lin only suffered scratches to her face and neck and was able to go home after a visit to the hospital, CNN reported.
According to the outlet, windspeeds were very strong the day of the festival with winds recorded at 38 miles per hour (7 on the Beaufort Scale).
Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien apologized for the accident on social media, saying the city would launch an investigation.
“We will review the circumstances to prevent accidents like this from happening again, and hold people accountable,” the mayor wrote on Facebook, CNN reported.
Secretary-general of the Asian Kite Forum, Chen Ko-fang, told Taiwan News that the massive kite was supposed to drop candy from the sky. While children are usually kept away from the kite before it rises into the air, the strong gust of wind caught the staff of the event by surprise, she said.
They also reported that the festival, which was in its fourth year, would be canceled entirely.
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Giant kites like the one that captured Lin are extremely uncommon, but for kites of that size (sometimes called “extreme kites“), professionals recommend not flying over or near people. It’s important to keep safety in mind when flying everyday kites as well, as they can reach a speed of 80 miles per hour.
A Wind of Change, a purveyor of extreme and specialty kites, warns of the dangers of fast kite speeds on the safety section of their website: “If your kite ever did strike someone at that speed, the results could be fatal. Even slower moving power kites can send someone to the hospital room if they were hit by one. Kites will also put extreme tension on the kite lines making them razor-sharp, any line under tension can cause severe cuts, bruises, and burns if it comes into contact with anyone at any speed. Spectators DO NOT understand this and may not know they are in danger, especially young children.”
Wow! We had no idea the dangers that kites posed. Kite safety is a legit concern and we hope you take note. This is genuinely one of the most terrifying videos we have ever seen. We’re happy Lin is doing okay though and that officials are taking steps to ensure it never happens again.