A 12yearold child was found dead at her home in Argentina last Friday (13). After the socalled “Desafio do Apagão” also called “Desafio do Enforcamento” Milagros Soto would have died of strangulation in a concert with friends.
Reports from friends who saw the video state that the girl tried to remove the rope from her neck when she realized she could no longer breathe, but she couldn’t and died during the challenge.
The girl’s aunt, Laura Luque, said she received the link to watch the live broadcast but did not see it. For her, someone would have encouraged Milagros as she has been ridiculed by schoolmates in the past.
“We are heartbroken. We gave her a lot of love. I think someone encouraged her to do this. We have many doubts about everything that happened to her. She was a very smart girl. She suffered greatly from bullying. She even told us that nobody wanted her at school because she was pretty with her blonde hair.”
Laura Luke
Milagros Soto’s aunt
For its part, the Teniente General Pablo Ricchieri school, where the child studied, published a note regretting the event and saying that it “supports the student’s family at this terrible moment”.
The “Blackout Challenge” is one of the many challenges on TikTok. Allegedly created in 2008, still outside of this social network, it makes users gag until they pass out. Milagros would previously have managed to perform twice, but would have died on the third occasion, according to information from Jam Press.
She wasn’t the first to die from this “challenge.” In 2021, a 10yearold girl from Palermo, Italy, died by suffocation due to the same situation.
How do you assess these dangerous situations in social media? What would you do to prevent a case like Milagros? Comment with us!