Beauty queen dies during liposuction surgery

Catherine Cando, a part-time glamour model from Ecuador, initially declined the surgery after she was crowned Queen of Duran 2014, believing she could she could shift the weight through diet and exercise.

The 19-year-old's brother claims that surgeons and judges convinced her to go ahead with the procedure, which formed part of the pageant prize.

"Before having the surgery, she received a lot of calls from the surgeon trying to persuade her to do it, but she kept saying no," Daniel Zavela, 24, told local media.

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"She was thinking about letting someone else have it as freebie, but eventually she agreed to have it just to get him off her back."

Catherine Cando underwent liposuction surgery after being crowned Queen of Duran. Photo: Facebook

The stunner, who was reportedly also training to be a doctor, died during the operation, but the exact cause of her death is yet to be determined.

The surgeon who performed the operation has reportedly been arrested on charges of negligence.

Beauty queen Catherine Cando, 19, died during botched liposuction surgery. Photo: Facebook

Lawyer Carlos Reyes Izquierdo said: "I was told she died of brain odeama (swelling of the brain), but the clinic staff told her relatives she had died of a cardiac arrest. I have ordered cytological and pathological examinations to find out what exactly happened.

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"It can be presumed as negligence because there has been no support from doctors who have failed to explain anything about the case."

Catherine Cando died during botched cosmetic surgery she received as part of a pageant prize. Photo: Facebook

In 2012, Brazilian TV model Pamela Nascimento, 27, died on the operating table during liposuction surgery.

The cause of her death was registered as hypovolemic shock, where severe blood loss makes the heart unable to pup enough blood to the body.

Just last month, Brazilian beauty Andressa Urach, also 27, was left fighting for life after botched thigh injections.