A man has been killed by a beer keg that exploded at his birthday party while he was trying to fix it.

Gilson do Nascimento, 43, died after being hit in the head by metal fragments as he tried to get beer to come out of the tap of the beer keg.

His niece told local media in Brazil that her uncle, who owned a locksmith business, had gone to fix the keg at around 6pm on Friday, September 17.

She said:

“My uncle called them (the keg rental company) and they gave him instructions on how to start fixing it until they arrived.

“The beer wasn’t coming out, only foam.”

Police spokesperson Clovis Nei da Silva said the case is currently being treated as an accident, adding:

“We are interviewing witnesses at the scene at the time of the incident.

“For now, the incident has been registered and an autopsy has been requested.”

Gilson’s wife, sister and 15-year-old son were also at the birthday party which quickly turned to tragedy.

His niece said the family is “very shaken” by his death, which came just six years after he battled against cancer.

His godmother Angela Maria de Oliveira told local media:

“He was a warrior, a working man, a wonderful family man.

“He was everything to us. He will be sorely missed in our lives, it was a full house with him, always a full house.”

Gilson’s autopsy took place on September 18, on the morning after his death, and he was buried the following day at Jardim da Memoria Cemetery in Novo Hamburgo.

The news site G1 said the company Chopp Express had supplied the keg for the birthday bash.

The firm’s lawyer, Jose Adelmo de Oliveira, said the customer was told not to touch the equipment as a technician was on his way to the house to resolve the problem.

According to the lawyer, when the technician arrived, the barrel had already exploded and the victim was dead at the scene.

Jose Luis Giovanella, president of the Association of Microbreweries, said the brewery and delivery company involved are being questioned to establish whether the equipment was faulty.