It happened in a park in the Japanese city of Higashiomi Sunday afternoon when the 1,540-pound kite crashed into 73-year-old Junichi Yoshii and three others. A crowd of other spectators were in that area but managed to flee far enough away that they were not struck with force by the kite.
Yoshi survived the initial crash but Agence France-Press reported that he died in hospital on Tuesday. Another elderly man, 78, sustained serious injuries. among them broken ribs, but has survived the tragedy, while a third man, 62, and a seven-year-old boy had minor injuries.
“The kite appeared to tilt to the side and then it suddenly crashed to the ground as frightened spectators cried out and scrambled to get out of the way,” the Japanese news site Asahi Shimbun said. “Most of them didn’t make it.”
A witness said it “felt like a huge spear falling from the sky at high speed.” Strong winds appeared to be responsible for the sudden crash but they were predicted to be in the area. The mayor of Higashiomi has issued an apology for the incident, saying “safety measures were insufficient” and that an investigation is underway.
Kite festivals are not uncommon in Japan and other countries in the region. A 5-year-old boy was killed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in March after his legs got tangled up in a kite and he was carried into the air, and then dropped to his death.
In 2004 in Japan eight people were hurt when a one-tonne kite fell to earth at a festival near Tokyo.
