A Brazilian father of three lost his life on June 3 after a glass-coated kite string fatally cut his throat while he was riding a motorcycle with his wife in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Auriel Missael Henrique, 41, was on his way to see his daughter in Duque de Caxias, a city in northern Rio, when the tragic incident happened.
As the couple traveled, they encountered what looked like an ordinary string hanging across the road. However, the line was actually part of a fighting kite equipped with linha chilena—a special string coated in glue and powdered glass meant to sever other kites’ lines during aerial battles. When their motorcycle passed through, the razor-sharp wire wrapped around Henrique’s neck and inflicted a deep, fatal wound.
Henrique’s wife and a passing motorist tried to staunch the bleeding and quickly took him to a hospital in Nova Iguaçu, as reported by Brazilian news outlet Globo. According to Henrique’s niece, Gislayne Crisley, he suffered a heart attack on the way and passed away before reaching the hospital.
Henrique worked as both a motorcycle taxi driver and a cook, and leaves behind three children, aged 21, 19, and six. His death is just one among over a hundred similar cases reported annually in Rio, where using kite strings coated in glass is illegal.
Kite fighting involves competitors flying kites with strings reinforced with glass or metal powder, aiming to slice through rivals’ lines by skillful maneuvering. These strings are sharp enough to cut human skin and even electrical cables. Though the sport has long been a part of Brazilian culture and is especially popular in Rio’s favelas, the leftover strings often cause serious injuries when they end up in areas with traffic.
The Brazilian Association of Motorcyclists notes that half of all kite string accidents result in severe injuries like scarring or mutilation, while a quarter turn out to be fatal. For motorcyclists, the risk is particularly high, as these almost invisible strings can cause catastrophic injuries at high speeds.
To guard themselves against these dangers, many riders equip their motorcycles with special antennas that feature razor blades. These are designed to cut any string before it reaches the rider. One of Rio’s main highway operators regularly hands out these protective devices to bikers.
A hotline for reporting the illegal use of razor-sharp kite strings has fielded more than 2,800 calls since 2019 in Rio state alone. The MovRio Institute, a nonprofit group, manages this reporting system to monitor compliance with current laws.
The use and sale of linha chilena are already banned in congested areas of Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, but enforcement varies by region. A federal bill working its way through Brazil’s congress aims to outlaw the manufacture, sale, and use of these hazardous strings nationwide.
The proposed law would establish prison sentences of one to three years, along with hefty fines, for offenders. It passed the lower house in February 2024 and now awaits a Senate vote. If approved, the law would create consistent national rules regarding these dangerous kite strings.
In other countries, such as France and Chile, kite fighting is organized and carried out safely in designated zones. However, in Brazil, the widespread and unregulated practice has caused many accidents over the years. Despite the dangers, kite flying from rooftops and terraces remains very popular in urban areas.
The recent tragedy in Brazil coincided with similar incidents in Brooklyn, New York, where two cyclists were injured after hitting kite strings on the Marine Parkway Bridge. One cyclist was hospitalized with serious neck injuries, while the other suffered wounds to the head and hands. These events highlight the global risks associated with fighter kites.
There is no comprehensive national data on all the injuries and fatalities caused by cutting strings across Brazil. Still, local statistics show this is a widespread problem that goes beyond Rio, prompting several states to pass their own regulations to address the growing number of incidents.