Gujarat, Jan 17: At least four people have lost their lives, and 170 others have been injured in Gujarat during the Uttarayan kite flying festival, as a result of accidents involving falling or kite strings getting tangled around people's necks.

One of the tragic incidents occurred in Surat, where an 8-year-old boy, identified as Rehansh Borse, died after a kite string wrapped around his neck while he was riding his bicycle with a friend in Anand Villa. The sharp kite string caused severe injuries to his throat, and despite being rushed to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries later the same day.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, three members of a family were killed in Surat after their vehicle got entangled in a kite string. The string caused the two-wheeler to fall from a 70-foot-high flyover. The victims included a man, his wife, and their 7-year-old daughter. While the woman initially survived by landing on an auto-rickshaw, she later died from her injuries.

In another heartbreaking case, Ashok Panchal lost his life after a kite string became tangled in his throat while he was riding his motorcycle. The string cut his throat, leading to heavy bleeding, and he died shortly after. This incident occurred near Dholka in Ahmedabad district.

Virendrasinh Garasiya also tragically passed away due to a kite string getting caught in his neck near Kathana village in Anand district.

In total, four districts of Gujarat have reported 117 injuries caused by kite strings, with authorities urging caution during the ongoing festival.