A popular children's pastime in Brazil has taken a deadly turn. A father of three was tragically killed when a glass-coated kite string slit his throat as he rode his motorbike through a Rio suburb, reigniting urgent calls to outlaw the lethal material known as cerol.
Auriel Missael Henrique, 41, was travelling with his wife on 3rd June 2025 in Duque de Caxias when the razor-sharp string—used in competitive kite fighting—became entangled across the road and fatally struck his neck. Despite efforts to save him, Henrique died at the scene, bleeding out on the street.
