Father is killed by KITE string that wrapped around his neck as he rode his motorbike

By OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 12:44, 2 July 2026 | Updated: 12:44, 2 July 2026 A father-of-two was killed after a kite string coated with glass powder wrapped around his neck as he rode his motorbike to work in Brazil. Footage shows Cleuson Andrade Viana, 39, sitting on the pavement with blood pouring from a cut in the front of his neck as bystanders gathered around. One man holds his head from behind while another presses fabric against the wound in an attempt to control the bleeding. According to reports, the incident happened in the municipality of Santana, Amapa state, at around 18.20 local time on June 30. Mr Viana died just 30 minutes later despite efforts to save him. Official medical reports state that the kite string caused a deep laceration to the jugular vein and trachea. Police said the string was coated with glass powder to make it sharper, a practice banned under local rules. Such lines are used in kite fighting, a popular but dangerous sport in which competitors try to cut each other's kites from the sky using abrasive strings known as cerol. Officers said the line involved was an industrially made version coated with aluminium oxide or quartz powder, which can be up to four times more abrasive than standard glass-coated cerol. Father-of-two, Cleuson Andrade Viana (pictured),  was killed after a kite string coated with glass powder wrapped around his neck as he rode his motorbike to work in Brazil. Police said the string was coated with glass powder to make it sharper, a practice banned under local rules. The lines are used in kite fighting, a popular but dangerous sport in which competitors try to cut each other's kites from the sky using abrasive strings known as cerol (stock image) Its use is illegal in Amapa under State Law No. 2.457, with penalties including fines and possible imprisonment. Mr Viana's wife, Lenice Moreira, said her husband left home in good spirits before the incident and never returned. She said: 'My husband was an exceptional man. A loving father, a caring father. He was my right hand in everything. 'He went to work happy yesterday, came home for lunch, went back to work, but on the way back we no longer had him alive.' Lenice added that the tragedy had devastated the family, saying her children had lost their father and other relatives were left in deep mourning. She also called for greater awareness and enforcement against the use of cutting lines, saying parents needed to take responsibility to prevent similar deaths. Mr Viana's mother also called for justice, describing him as a hard-working father and saying the loss had left an unbearable void in her life. Authorities confirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify who was flying the kite at the time the line came into contact with the roadway. Lawmakers in Brazil are seeking to prohibit the manufacture, sale and use of the deadly strings.  A Bill that is passing through Brazil's Congress seeks to punish offenders with one to three years' jail and a fine. While the strings are already outlawed in some crowded parts of Brazil, including Rio, kite-fighting is especially popular in Rio's favelas. Last year, a man was riding his motorcycle with his wife on June 3 when a glass-coated kite string in the air sliced his neck. As the motorcycle sped on, the string split open Mr Auriel Missael Henrique's neck, causing him to begin bleeding out on the street in Duque de Caxias, a town in northern Rio de Janeiro. His wife attempted to stop the bleeding with the help of a passing driver. But, the 41-year-old father of three died of a cardiac arrest before reaching the hospital.  To avoid being struck by the deadly lines, motorcyclists typically put up antenna-like posts equipped with razors at the front of their bikes to cut any incoming strings. Kite fighting is so common that the company managing one of Rio's main highways regularly distributes the contraption to motorists. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.