LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- An annual weekend kite-flying celebration of spring in eastern Pakistan resulted in the deaths of least 11 people and injuries to more than 500 others.
The Hindu event known as Basant involves flying elaborate kites but has evolved to include firing guns into the air, Pakistan's Geo television network reported Monday.
The fatalities were caused by people being struck by stray bullets, from being sliced by razor-sharp kite wire and kite cords hitting electrical lines, officials said. Six of the dead were children, the report said.
Other injuries were reported from falls by people trying to recover kites tangled in trees and on rooftops, Kuwait's Kuna news agency reported.
The country's supreme court banned the Basant festival because of fatalities in previous years but the provincial Punjab government lifted the ban for the weekend, Kuna said.
Police said they made more than 800 arrests on firearms and hooliganism during the weekend.
