A festival beauty queen has died after her car smashed into a tree – while a toddler travelling beside her survived.
Natália Soares, 26, was killed when her silver Volkswagen Gol left the road and ploughed into the tree yesterday (29 Sep) morning.
A toddler, reported by some local outlets to be Natália’s daughter, was travelling in the passenger seat.
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Firefighters cut the youngster free from the wreckage before she was taken to a local health unit.
Highway police said the child did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.
But Natália was already dead when emergency crews reached the scene.
Dramatic images released by the fire service show the car reduced to a twisted wreck following the impact.
The crash happened on the GO-426 highway between Inhumas and Santa Rosa de Goiás, in the metropolitan region of Goiânia, Brazil.
Natália was crowned queen of a local rodeo festival in 2017 and was known on the regional festival circuit, as reported by Need To Know.
Friends and relatives were left mourning the young beauty queen as news of her death spread.
Santa Rosa town hall issued a public message of condolence.
It said: “We know that no words can ease the pain of a moment like this, but we would like to express to family and friends our solidarity and support in this very difficult time.”
State highway police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Officers are looking into whether speed, a mechanical fault or another factor may have played a role.
The investigation is ongoing.
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