A busy mother of a four-year-old daughter has dropped dead after getting an electric shock from her washing machine.

Tais de Oliveira Rost, 27, was reportedly alone at her home in the municipality of Tres de Maio in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul when the tragedy occurred on Monday, 17th January.

She was found by her boyfriend William Bottega, who called the emergency services, but it was too late to save her.

Bottega took to social media to pay tribute to his late girlfriend, writing: “I will love you today and always, for being that special person who came into my life.

“I ask God to comfort our hearts. It hurts a lot, it doesn’t seem real. Until we meet again…”

The post-mortem report has not yet been published, but the strong suspicion is that Rost was killed by an accidental electrical discharge from the washing machine while she was washing clothes.

The Civil Police (Brazil’s investigative police force) are investigating the incident, and preliminary information seems to confirm the discharge may have come from a bare wire.

Police spokesperson Joao Vitorio Barbato has told reporters that the young woman had no known pre-existing health conditions that may have contributed to her untimely death.

Rost worked at a clothing store and was due to start work with another company in Tres de Maio on Tuesday, 18th January. She leaves behind a four-year-old daughter.

The results of the post-mortem will reportedly be available in around a fortnight’s time.