Overview

• Auriel Missael Henrique, 41, died when a glass-coated “linha chilena” kite string severed his neck while he rode a motorcycle in Duque de Caxias
• Fighter kite lines are treated with glue and powdered glass, making them capable of slicing through skin, cables and protective gear
• Brazil’s lower house approved a federal bill last February to outlaw the manufacture, sale and use of razor-sharp kite strings, and the Senate is now set to vote
• Local bans in Rio de Janeiro and other municipalities have seen weak enforcement, with the MovRio Institute logging over 2,800 illegal-line reports in Rio state since 2019
• Motorcyclists have begun fitting razor-equipped antennae to their bikes to cut loose strings before impact, and similar kite-string injuries have been reported in New York