Boy, 5, dies after falling from giant kite in Vietnam

A five-year-old boy has died after falling 20 metres from a giant kite in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh city.

Daily Mail reported that the boy was with his parents who were selling drinks to kite enthusiasts at a field on Sunday. He is believed to have been picking up a soft drink bottle on the ground when his leg got tangled on the kite's rope.

A strong gust of wind took the 15-metre-wide kite off into the air so quickly that bystanders could not get to it in time.

The boy was pulled up into the air before his leg broke away from the string, sending him plummeting 20 metres to the ground. The horrifying scene was captured on a bystander's camera.

According to Sydney Morning Herald, the kite was being launched by members of the Saigon Kite Club.

Vietnam newspapers said that the kite was a giant replica of the Vietamese flag which had fallen to the ground several times before the freak incident happened.

He was taken to a hospital but pronounced dead shortly after.

ljessica@sph.com.sg