TWO teenage friends, aged 18 and 19, plunged 100ft to their deaths just moments after posting a snap from atop a waterfall.
Monique Medeiros, 19, and Bruna Vellasquez, 18, fell when one of the young women slipped near the top of the isolated waterfall and the other went to help in Brazil.
The pair, described by friends as "inseparable", had gone for a walk with friends to the isolated waterfall spot in Salto Caveiras, Lages.
Police said one of the women slipped as she was walking near the top of the waterfall and the other lost her balance when she went to help.
Tragically, both young women were killed after falling together.
Bruna Vellasquez, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene before rescuers arrived, while Monique Medeiros lost her fight for life in hospital shortly after.
A police chief confirmed Monique had "a severe head injury" and needed to be taken to hospital by helicopter.
The women were buried yesterday afternoon in their native Lages in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina.
Today, friends and well-wishers paid tribute to the pair, said to have posted pictures from the scene of Sunday’s tragedy moments before it occurred on social media.
One said of Bruna, who was due to celebrate her 19th birthday on September 28: “So pretty and so young.
“Please God comfort the hearts of your family.”
Dmitri Arruda, owner of a hamburger joint where Monique used to work while she was studying to be a nurse, told local media: “She began as a cashier before beginning to work with me in its management.
“I fell ill and she helped me a lot and basically had to run the business alone.”
Friends described the pair as inseparable.
The waterfall – known for its natural beauty – could only be reached via footpaths.
Emergency responders who helped in the rescue said the spot where the teenagers lost their lives was off-limits to visitors, but locals often headed to the area.
A photo showing the victims en route to the waterfall by car, posted on social media, was published by one local paper along with another showing two women sat at the top of a waterfall above a group of people below them.
Just last week, a tourist plunged 50ft to his death after slipping on rocks while taking a selfie at a waterfall in Thailand.
Soipov Abdullokh, 22, allegedly ignored warning signs to avoid taking selfies at the Ngao Waterfall National Park in Ranong.
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