A former beauty queen who had moved on to study physics at university has died after accidentally driving her motorbike off a cliff.

Student Bruna Maria Tieppo was just 21 when the motorbike she was riding veered off a cliff in the Brazilian municipality of Ipira on the afternoon of Tuesday, 22nd June.

According to the fire brigade, the accident happened when she lost control of her Honda Biz, which veered off the SC-390 road and plummeted over the cliff.

First responders reached the young woman but found her without vital signs. The distance she fell is unclear.

According to the fire brigade, she died after hitting trees and rocks during the fall.

It is not clear what caused Bruna to lose control of her vehicle. However, the SC-390 road, which traverses the Serra do Rio do Rastro mountain range, is known for being steep, narrow and very curved.

Bruna was known for her striking good looks. At the age of just 16, she was elected beauty queen of Kerbfest, a typical German festivity in the municipality of Piratuba, in 2017.

The town hall paid tribute to her, writing in a statement: “Our eternal tribute to she who with her smile and charisma represented us magnificently for a year.”

Bruna was studying for a bachelor’s degree in physics at the Instituto Federal (Federal Institute) public university in the municipality of Concordia at the time of the accident.

She hailed from the municipality of Ouro, but lived in Ipira, where her funeral took place with family and friends attending on Wednesday, 23rd June.