Girl, 4, crushed to death in front of twin brother in school playroom accident just one day after celebrating birthday
Little Alice Brasil Souza da Paz was celebrating her birthday with classmates at a school in north-east Brazil when the tragic accident unfolded - before her twin brother's eyes.
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The twins' parents stayed for part of the celebration at CEV school in Teresina on Tuesday.
A few hours later, while they were at work, the parents said a teacher called to tell them Alice had been in an accident.
Alice's mum Dayana Brasil said: "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.
"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 that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Alice's dad Claudio Sousa said the family have heard different explanations from the school and still do not understand what happened.
He said they were told at first that a toy had fallen on the child.
'Meteor' crashes to earth with loud bang & leaves houses shaking
The family described the trauma of burying Alice the following day, which happened to also be her dad's birthday.
He said: "My gift was to bury my daughter.
"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.
The dad said: "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?
"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 Child and Adolescent Protection Unit, led by Chief Hugo Alcantara.
It comes as a tech CEO was killed in a freak mid-air skydiving collision.
Thomas Britis, the 44-year-old head of a fiberoptics firm, crashed down into a field after he and his pal leapt from a small plane in Brazil, according to local officials.
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