Beauty Queen Killed by Lightning Strike at 22

A 22-year-old Brazilian beauty queen, Ana Beatriz Araújo Ferreira, has died after being struck by lightning.

The tragedy occurred in the backyard of her mother’s home in the city of Almas, Brazil. At the time, it was raining lightly.

According to Ana’s sister, Lana Letícia, the yard was surrounded by several trees and had a small laundry area nearby.

Ana Beatriz had just bathed her five-year-old son and sent him inside the house before helping with her brother’s daughter.

“She was brushing my niece’s hair when lightning struck,” Lana said.

The young mother, affectionately known by her family as Aninha, was taken to hospital alive but died from her injuries later that same day.

Her brother, César Augusto, said the tragedy happened in a matter of seconds.

“The day was overcast, and there was a very light, gentle rain,” he explained.

Augusto later spoke to CNN Brasil about his sister.

“Aninha was and remains one of the most beautiful people I have ever known,” he said.

He added that the lightning struck her while she was “doing what she loved most — showing love through something simple.”

Shortly before her death, Ferreira had been crowned rodeo queen at the ExpoAlmas agricultural fair.