Tragedy in Brazil: 22-year-old rodeo queen killed by lightning strike

Ana Beatriz Pereira, 22, was killed by a lightning strike in her mother's backyard in Brazil while combing her niece's hair. She was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead. The niece was unharmed. Pereira, a physiotherapy student and mother of a five-year-old boy, was chosen as the rodeo queen of the ExpoAlmas fair.

Ana Beatriz Pereira, 22, was killed by a lightning strike in her mother's backyard in Almas, Brazil. The incident occurred while she was combing her niece's hair after a light rain. Pereira was taken to the hospital in Porto Nacional, about 239 kilometers away, but was pronounced dead. Her niece was unharmed. Pereira was a physiotherapy student at Unopar University and the mother of a five-year-old boy, Luiz Henrique. She gained local fame after being chosen as the rodeo queen of the ExpoAlmas fair. Her brother described her as a loving and strong woman. The Farmers' Union of Almas issued a condolence message. The incident occurred amid a high number of lightning strikes in the region; according to the power company Energisa, more than one million atmospheric electrical discharges were recorded in the state of Tocantins in January 2026.