Twin tragedy: Dad's grief as 4yo is crushed to death at school birthday party
Alice Brasil Souza da Paz was celebrating her birthday with classmates at a school in northeastern Brazil when the tragic accident unfolded on Tuesday last week.
The twins' parents stayed for part of the celebration at CEV school in Teresina.
A few hours later, while they were at work, the parents said a teacher called to tell them Alice had been in an accident.
'This past Tuesday, we arrived in the morning with our daughter, alive and healthy, to celebrate with her school friends the birthday she shared with her brother,' Alice's mum Dayana Brasil said.
'After the celebration, we said goodbye to our children and went to work.
'A few hours later, we were called and received the news that she had died at school.'
Police said the accident occurred in the school playroom after another child crawled under a dressing table, causing it to topple over onto Alice, who was lying nearby.
Her twin brother witnessed the tragedy.
The school said it was fully co-operating with the investigation.
Alice's dad Claudio Sousa said the family have heard different explanations from the school and still did not understand what happened.
He said they were told at first that a toy had fallen on the child.
The family described the trauma of burying Alice the following day, which happened to also be her dad's birthday.
'My gift was to bury my daughter,' he said.
'We lost our daughter in the place where she should have been safe and protected.
'We don't want revenge. We want justice so that no other child goes through what our Alice went through.'
The parents said they were deeply worried about the trauma their son, Arthur, has been through, both in witnessing the accident and losing his inseparable twin sister.
'How am I supposed to explain to a four-year-old that his sister, who shared everything with him since the womb of my beloved wife, is gone?' Mr Sousa said.
'He saw it all, witnessing a scene no child or person should ever have to see.'
The school has suspended all activities for the week and released a statement expressing its condolences.
It added psychological support is being offered to families, staff and the wider school community.
The case is being investigated by the Brazil's Child and Adolescent Protection Unit.
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