Kite flying claims five lives in Telangana

Hyderabad, Jan 15: The joy of Makar Sankranti turned into gloom for a few families in Telangana as at least five persons lost their lives in incidents related to kite flying during the last couple of days.

While four youth lost their lives either due to electrocution or falling from the rooftops, a soldier fell victim to the dreaded 'Chinese manja'.

Four of these deaths were reported in Hyderabad while a youth was killed in neighbouring Sangareddy district.

A 20-year-old was killed after he fell from the terrace of his apartment complex at Pet Basheerabad in Hyderabad on Sunday evening. Akash, a second-year degree student, was son of an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Rajasekhar police, posted at the Alwal police station.

According to the police, Akash fell from the terrace of his five-storied apartment while flying a kite and died on the spot.

On Sunday, a 30-year-old man died of electrocution while flying kite on the terrace of a two-storey house in Jogipet town of Sangareddy district.

Subrahmanyam came in contact with a high-tension wire while flying the kite and fell from the building. His wife Chamundeswari Devi sustained injuries while trying to save him.

The couple was being shifted to Sangareddy but Subrahmanyam succumbed on the way. His wife was undergoing treatment.

Subrahmanyam with his wife and two children had come to his in-laws' house from Isnapur to celebrate Makar Sankranti.

Earlier, two children lost their lives in two separate incidents in Hyderabad. Tanishq, 11, died of electrocution while flying a kite on the terrace of an apartment building in Attapur on Saturday.

The boy was flying kites on the rooftop of an apartment building along with his friends. According to the police, he came in contact with a high-tension electric wire and died on the spot.

In the second incident, a boy lost his life while flying a kite on a rooftop with his friends at Nagole.

K. Shiva Prasanna, 13, a class 8 student at a government school in Nagole, fell off the terrace of a four-storey building while flying a kite. He fell on the asbestos roof of an adjoining house and suffered grievous injuries. He was taken to a private hospital, where he succumbed.

A boy was also injured when he came in contact with a live electric wire while flying a kite in Nagarkurnool. He has been shifted to Hyderabad for treatment.

Electricity authorities advised people not to fly kites near electricity installations, saying metal-coated 'manja' thread may cause electrocution and tripping of the supply network.

"Metallic thread or metal-reinforced string, metal-coated thread (Manja) is a good conductor of electricity and may cause electric shock when it touches/comes close to an electric line," an official said.

The dreaded Chinese manja claimed the life of a soldier in Hyderabad. Kagithala Koteswar Reddy, 30, had his throat slit by a Chinese manja (nylon/synthetic thread) when he was riding a scooty.

The incident occurred on Indira Reddy flyover in Langar Houz on Saturday evening. A profusely bleeding Army officer was admitted to a hospital, where he succumbed.

Koteswar Reddy was a native of Pedda Valteru in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh. He was returning home in the Bapu Nagar area in Langar Houz.

Police have registered a case under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 304 (II) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

The state government had imposed a total ban on manja in 2016 to save birds as well as for the safety of humans.