Four-Year-Old Girl Dies in Tragic School Accident During Birthday Celebration in Brazil

Alice Brasil Souza da Paz tragically died in an accident at her school in Teresina, Brazil

A four-year-old girl, Alice Brasil Souza da Paz, tragically lost her life when a dressing table toppled onto her during her birthday celebration at a school in north-east Brazil. The incident occurred at CEV School in Teresina on Tuesday, as her twin brother and classmates looked on.

Alice and her twin brother had begun the day celebrating their shared birthday with their parents in attendance. After the festivities, the parents left for work, only to receive a devastating phone call hours later from a teacher informing them of the accident.

Alice and her twin brother Arthur had turned four the day before

According to police, the tragedy unfolded in the school playroom when another child crawled under a dressing table, causing it to fall onto Alice, who was lying nearby. Her twin brother, Arthur, witnessed the entire event.

Alice’s mother, Dayana Brasil, recalled dropping her children off that morning “alive and healthy,” never imagining it would be the last time she saw her daughter. Her father, Claudio Sousa, expressed heartbreak and confusion, saying the family received conflicting accounts from the school—initially being told that a toy had fallen on Alice.

The twins were celebrating their birthday with classmates when the tragedy unfolded

The family buried Alice the following day, which coincided with her father’s birthday. “My gift was to bury my daughter,” Sousa 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 no other child goes through what our Alice went through.”

The grieving parents are also concerned about the psychological trauma their son now faces after witnessing his twin’s death. “How am I supposed to explain to a four-year-old that his sister, who shared everything with him since the womb, is gone? He saw it all,” Sousa added.

The CEV college where Alice tragically died

The school has suspended all activities for the week, extended condolences to the family, and is providing psychological support to students, staff, and the school community. The Child and Adolescent Protection Unit, led by Chief Hugo Alcantara, is investigating the case.

This tragedy comes amid another shocking accident in Brazil, where tech CEO Thomas Britis, 44, died in a freak mid-air collision during a skydiving jump, crashing into a field after leaping from a small plane.