A Brazilian father of three died on June 3, 2025, after a razor-sharp kite string sliced his throat while he was riding a motorcycle with his wife in Rio de Janeiro. Auriel Missael Henrique, 41, was traveling to visit his daughter in the town of Duque de Caxias in northern Rio when the fatal accident occurred.
The couple collided with what appeared to be an ordinary string hanging across the road, but the thread was actually from a fighting kite used in a popular Brazilian hobby. The string, known locally as linha chilena, is coated with glue and powdered glass to cut the strings of rival kites during aerial battles. As the motorcycle sped along the road, the lethal cord wrapped around Henrique’s neck, slicing open his throat and leaving him critically wounded.
According to Henrique’s niece Gislayne Crisley, who spoke to Brazilian news outlet Globo, a passing driver and Henrique’s wife attempted to stem the bleeding and rushed him to a hospital in Nova Iguacu. However, Henrique suffered a cardiac arrest during transport and died before reaching medical assistance. The motorcycle taxi driver and cook left behind three children aged 21, 19, and six.
Kite fighting has a long history in Brazil and involves participants flying kites with dangerously sharp strings, attempting to cut each other’s kite strings through skillful maneuvering. The sport is particularly popular in Rio’s favelas, where hundreds of participants fly the lethal kites from terraces and rooftops in a form of aerial combat. The reinforced strings are sharp enough to slice through human skin and even electrical wires.
The practice is illegal in Rio and results in more than 100 accidents annually, according to the Brazilian Association of Motorcyclists (ABRAM). The organization reports that half of all kite-string incidents result in serious injuries such as scars and mutilations, while 25 percent prove fatal. A hotline established to report illegal use has received more than 2,800 reports since 2019.
Discarded kite strings pose particular dangers to motorcyclists, who are especially susceptible to serious harm or death when they encounter the sharp strings while traveling at speed. To protect themselves, many motorcyclists install special antennas equipped with razor blades on the front of their bikes, designed to cut any string that might cross their path before it can cause harm. The company that administers one of Rio’s main highways regularly distributes these protective devices to motorcyclists.
The sale and use of razor-sharp kite strings are already banned in some parts of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro. Currently, a bill is progressing through the country’s congress seeking to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of the deadly strings nationwide. The proposed legislation would impose prison sentences of one to three years and substantial fines on violators.
The federal bill was approved by Congress’s lower house in February 2024 and is now heading toward a Senate vote. If passed, the law would make Brazil’s approach more comprehensive, as the dangerous strings would be prohibited throughout the entire country rather than just in select regions.
While kite-fighting competitions are held safely in designated areas in countries like France and Chile, Brazil’s widespread and unregulated use has caused numerous accidents over the years. The cultural tradition of kite flying evokes childhood memories for many Brazilians, and some participants do fly kites simply with harmless cotton string. However, when attached to cutting lines, kites can be fatal, particularly when sweeping across highways where speeding motorists struggle to spot them.
The incident follows a similar case in New York City, where two cyclists were recently injured by kite strings on the Marine Parkway Bridge. One man remains hospitalized with serious neck injuries, while a woman riding alongside him sustained injuries to her head and hands. These cases demonstrate that the dangers of razor-sharp kite strings extend beyond Brazil’s borders.
There is no official data on the number of injuries and deaths nationwide caused by cutting lines in Brazil. However, since 2019, Rio state alone has recorded more than 2,800 reports of illegal use of the dangerous strings, according to the MovRio Institute, a non-profit organization that operates a reporting hotline.
Henrique’s death represents one of at least five fatalities from similar incidents since 2020, with many more people injured by the glass-coated strings. The low cost of the material, often made at home for under one dollar, makes enforcement particularly challenging and raises questions about balancing cultural traditions with public safety.
