TOKYO (AFP): A giant kite weighing three-quarters of a tonne crashed into a crowd of spectators in Japan at the weekend, an official said on Monday, hurting four people including an elderly man.

The bamboo-framed kite measuring 13m by 12m and weighing 700kg, was being flown by a big group of people at a park in Higashiomi, central Japan, for the annual “Big Kite” festival on Sunday.

It was at a height of around 200m when it suddenly plunged from the sky into the crowd, the official from Higashiomi city official said.

The huge kite hit and seriously injured a 73-year-old man, who remained unconscious in hospital on Monday, the official said. Three other people, including a seven-year-old boy, suffered injuries.-thestar