A Brazilian father of three died in a freak accident on June 3, 2025, when a glass-coated kite string sliced his throat while he was riding a motorcycle with his wife in Rio de Janeiro.

Auriel Missael Henrique, 41, was traveling through the town of Duque de Caxias in northern Rio de Janeiro when the couple collided with what appeared to be an ordinary string dangling across the road. The string was actually part of a fighting kite, a popular Brazilian hobby that involves coating kite strings with glue and powdered glass to cut opponents’ kite strings during aerial battles.

As the motorcycle sped along the road, the lethal cord, known locally as linha chilena, became entangled around Henrique’s neck, slicing open his throat and leaving him critically wounded. The couple had been on their way to visit Henrique’s daughter when the accident occurred.

According to Brazilian news outlet Globo, Henrique’s niece Gislayne Crisley reported that “a passing driver and Auriel’s wife had tried to stop the bleeding” and rushed him to a hospital in Nova Iguacu. However, Henrique suffered a cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died before receiving medical assistance.

Henrique worked as a motorcycle taxi driver and cook, and leaves behind three children aged 21, 19, and six years old. The tragedy highlights the ongoing dangers posed by the razor-sharp kite strings used in Brazil’s traditional kite-fighting sport.

Kite fighting involves participants flying kites with dangerously sharp strings, attempting to cut each other’s kite strings through skilled maneuvering. The strings are reinforced with metal and glass powder, making them sharp enough to slice through human skin and even electric wires. The game has cultural roots in Brazil and is particularly popular in Rio’s favelas, and discarded kite strings frequently cause severe injuries to unsuspecting victims.

The practice is illegal in Rio and results in more than 100 accidents annually, according to the Brazilian Association of Motorcyclists. The organization reports that half of all kite-string incidents result in serious injuries such as scars and mutilations, while 25 percent prove fatal. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable to serious harm or death when they encounter the sharp strings.

Since 2019, a hotline established to report illegal use of the dangerous strings has received more than 2,800 reports in Rio state alone. The widespread nature of the problem has prompted safety measures among motorcyclists, many of whom install special antennas equipped with razor blades on the front of their bikes 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 due to the frequency of accidents. Cases of motorcyclists having limbs severed or throats slit by the strings remain common throughout Brazil, leading several states to pass laws regulating their use.

The sale and use of razor-sharp kite lines are already banned in some parts of Brazil, including Rio. A bill currently progressing through the country’s congress seeks to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and use of the dangerous 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 Brazil’s Congress lower house in February 2024 and is now awaiting a vote in the Senate. Supporters argue that nationwide regulation is necessary to prevent further casualties from what has become an unregulated and dangerous activity.

While kite-fighting competitions are held safely in designated areas in countries like France and Chile, Brazil’s widespread and unregulated use of the deadly strings has caused numerous accidents and deaths over the years.Coincidentally, the incident involving Henrique occurred just days before two cyclists were injured by kite strings on New York’s Marine Parkway Bridge, demonstrating that the danger extends beyond Brazil’s borders.

Despite the cultural significance of kite fighting in Brazilian communities, safety advocates continue to push for stricter enforcement of existing bans and the passage of comprehensive national legislation. The death of Henrique, who was simply traveling to see his daughter, underscores the indiscriminate nature of the threat posed by linha chilena to innocent bystanders.