Tributes have poured in for two sisters who were shot dead on a beach in front of their horrified friends as the attackers fled the scene.
Maria Beatriz dos Santos, 20, and Bianca dos Santos, 15, had been spending some time with their pals in on May 1. They were standing by the edge of the sea when a group of men stormed the beach.
The pair, who are both influencers and make videos together, were gunned down by the armed men. The gang members then fled the scene on jet skis, according to reports. Maria tragically died at the scene while Bianca was raced to a nearby . Despite the medics' best efforts, she later died from her injuries.
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Police investigating the brazen shooting suspect that it was carried out by members of the Red Command - a Brazilian criminal organisation. However, it remains unclear what the motive was behind the shooting.
The sisters have a huge following online, with Bianca holding 1.5 million followers on the social media platform Kwai. Maria is best known on , having boasted more than 43,000 followers.
The terrifying shooting happened in Fortaleza, which is the capital city of the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará. Bianca’s boyfriend, Antônio Victor Araújo Ferreira, shared his heartbreak over the of his girlfriend on social media.
In a video which appears to have since been deleted, an emotional Antônio, who is known online as Moskou, shared that Bianca was pregnant.
He explained that the pair hadn't had the chance to tell anyone. "No one knew [of the ],” he said. "Only me and Bia knew that. She suspected she was pregnant, and it seems that she already was.”
Police continue to investigate the deaths.
