A YOUNG mother was killed in front of her 2-year-old son in an accident that left her trapped in the doors of a lift in a block of flats in Moscow.

Olga Tilinina, 20, was beheaded in the accident while her child, Maxim, looked on.

The former beauty queen had returned to her apartment after taking her son for a walk.

But when she entered the lift on the ground floor, the doors suddenly slammed shut, trapping her legs.

Olga managed to push her son to safety but the lift ascended with her jammed between the doors.

Her head cracked against the ceiling of the lift doorway, decapitating her.

A family friend told television channel NTV that Olga's body was very badly damaged in the accident.

Speaking to NTV, Olga's mother spoke of her disbelief and grief.

"I do not understand how the lift could go with her trapped in the doors. I still do not believe what happened," she said.

The authorities are investigating. Mechanics had carried out repairs on the lift hours before the tragedy, it has been revealed.