SÃO PAULO — A Brazilian police investigator confirmed Monday that a 21-year-old woman who perished during a rope jumping excursion over the weekend was not secured to any safety equipment.
Investigator Andrea Levy informed journalists that the three instructors involved admitted that Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was not connected to the safety ropes when she leaped on Saturday in the countryside of Sao Paulo state.
According to Levy, the three instructors have been taken into custody and may face charges of manslaughter.
“They do not remember whether they forgot to attach the ropes, who was responsible for the task, or who failed to conduct the safety check. However, the fact remains that the ropes were not attached to her,” Levy stated.
De Freitas was laid to rest on Sunday following the tragedy at Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge located in Limeira, approximately 148 kilometers (92 miles) north of Sao Paulo.
The victim had requested to be launched from the bridge in an “airplane style” position, with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders while she spread her arms. Video footage circulating online shows two men wearing white helmets launching her into a 40-meter (130-foot) abyss.
In the footage, the instructors appear to be wearing harnesses attached to a security rope.
Rope jumping is an extreme sport distinct from bungee jumping due to the materials used and the physics of the descent. While bungee jumping employs elastic rubber cords for a vertical bouncing effect, rope jumping utilizes low-stretch climbing ropes that transform the fall into a horizontal, pendulum-like swing.