A 21-year-old lady was laid to rest on Sunday in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, after she died dramatically when two rope-jumping instructors flung her over a bridge without first strapping her to security gear, local reports say.
The deadly incident happened on Saturday in the town of Limeira, around 150 km from São Paulo.
Brazilian authorities were called to the scene in an attempt to rescue the victim, who fell from a height of 40 metres and suffered severe multiple trauma, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Viral videos of the tragedy shared on social media show the anguish of onlookers when they realised the young woman was launched off the Ponte do Esqueleto bridge without the required safety rope. “She’s got no rope,” one witness to the accident is heard saying.
Three men, employees of the company Entre Cordas, which promotes this extreme activity, were arrested on suspicion of “homicide with eventual intent”, which means they were aware of the risk of death but went ahead anyway.
“Investigations are under way to determine the circumstances and establish responsibility,” police said.
Victim aspired to be physical education teacher
The 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was going rope jumping Saturday at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge in the municipality of Limeira where tourists practise extreme sports.
According to media reports, she had asked to be launched from the bridge aeroplane-style, with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders as she spread out her arms.
Online footage shows two white-helmeted men hurling Freites into a 40-metre chasm without fastening her with a rope to any security gear.
According to Brazilian media, those in charge of the jump attempted to flee the scene but were located by police with the help of a helicopter. Six people were ultimately detained, three of them placed in pre-trial detention.
Officials say they have initiated an investigation that could lead to murder charges.
Shortly before the accident, Maria Eduarda posted a picture of the site on Instagram with the caption: “Who was the crazy person who let me come and jump off a bridge???”
Previous videos of this extreme sport on the bridge, shot by Entre Cordas, show participants with a thick safety rope around their waist at the moment they jump.
Rope jumping differs from bungee jumping in that it uses a less elastic rope, meaning participants swing back and forth instead of bouncing at the end of the jump.
