3-year-old girl's terrifying kite mishap in gusty winds caught on video

 Published Aug. 31, 2020 5:04 PM | Updated Aug. 31, 2020 5:14 PM

An unidentified 3-year-old girl was taking part in a kite festival in Naliao, Taiwan, near Hsinchu City, on Sunday when she was unexpectedly caught in the tail of a giant, orange kite and lifted 100 feet off the ground amid gusty winds.

A video shared on social media on Sunday shows the scene, as a crowd of spectators is filmed cheering at the sight of the kite being released into the sky. However, the happy cheers soon turned to screams of horror as spectators realized that a child had been caught by the kite and swung violently into the air. After a heart-stopping 30 seconds, the girl is seen landing as she is pulled into the ground by members of the crowd who managed to get the kite under control.

A Hsinchu city government official told media that a sudden gust of wind at the site of the Hsinchu International Kite Festival caused the kite’s tail to wrap around the child’s abdomen, lifting her into the air.

According to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist John Gresiak, wind gusts of around 30 mph were recorded in the area, which is known for gusty winds.

"The gusts were triggered by some heavy showers and thunderstorms passing nearby," he said. "Kites are very aerodynamic and, with those kinds of gusts, can easily carry off a small child hold on to them."

The girl, who has been identified only by her surname, Lin, suffered minor cuts and is safe and sound, according to a statement released by the mayor of Hsinchu, Lin Chih-chien, on Facebook. In the statement, Chih-chien also apologized for the accident, saying that local authorities will assess the case to avoid future accidents.

"The municipal team expresses its deepest apologies to the parties and the community at large, and we will review the reasons to avoid the recurrence of accidents, and we will take accountability and review them in depth," he said in the statement.

The two-day kite festival celebrated its fourth anniversary this year, but the even was cut short on its second day after the incident left festival-goers shaken. During the festival, more than a dozen of professional kite fliers put on a show for thousands of spectators, as they showed off elaborate kites designed by local and foreign artisans, according to Taiwan News.

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