Boy drowns to death while flying kite

SRI LANKA: A five-year-old boy who was flying a kite in an abandoned paddy field at Kotatlawalapura in Nawagamuwa on Wednesday evening fell into a water-filled pit and drowned.

His parents went looking for the boy when he failed to return home at dusk. They found one of his slippers near the edge of the pit.

When the water in the pit was emptied with the help of the residents in the area, the boy's body was found at the bottom.

Meanwhile, a spokesman warned parents to keep a close watch on their children as they fly kites in abandoned land and by the sea shore or engage in other outdoor activities during the school vacation.