A 21-year-old woman died during a bungee jumping accident in São Paulo state, Brazil, after reportedly being allowed to jump without a safety rope being attached. According to local media reports, she fell more than 130 feet from a bridge. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.
The victim has been identified as Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas. She was taking part in a bungee jumping event organised by a private company when the accident occurred at Skeleton Bridge.
A video of the incident, which has since gone viral on social media, appears to show staff escorting the woman to the edge of the bridge before she jumps. Moments later, onlookers realise that her safety rope has not been secured.
In the footage, several people can be heard shouting, “Rope! Rope!”, but it was too late. The woman plunged into the gorge below and died from her injuries.
Shortly before the accident, Maria had posted photographs of the bungee jumping site on her social media account. One image showed the bridge along with her participant wristband. Captioning the post, she wrote: “Who on earth let me jump off this bridge?”
According to reports, Maria’s fiancé was also present at the site when the accident occurred. He reportedly became unwell after learning of her death and received medical treatment.
Following the incident, police detained six people at the scene. Investigators are examining how the safety procedures failed, whether staff members fulfilled their responsibilities, and if all required safety protocols were properly followed before the jump.Questions raised on security arrangements
After this accident, serious questions have been raised about the safety arrangements at adventure tourism sites. Murilo Flix, the mayor of Limeira, said that the City Administration will complain about this matter to the Brazilian government and demand accountability from those responsible for negligence in safety arrangements.
He said that for a long time, adequate safety measures have not been taken in this high-risk area, and now it is necessary to determine responsibility.
What is Bungee Jumping?
Bungee jumping is an adventure sport in which a person has to jump from a high bridge, tower, crane, or cliff with the help of a special type of strong and flexible elastic rope. Before the jump, a harness is attached to the person’s legs or entire body and connected to the bungee rope.
After jumping, the person falls rapidly for a few seconds. As soon as the rope fully stretches, it pulls the person back upwards. This up-and-down bouncing experience makes bungee jumping thrilling.
Companies that offer bungee jumping usually follow several steps for safety. First, the weight of the person jumping is measured, and the rope is chosen accordingly. After this, the harness, safety belt, anchoring system, and backup connections are checked multiple times. The jump is only allowed after receiving permission from the instructor.
According to experts, bungee jumping is indeed a high-adventure sport, but if bungee jumping is done under the supervision of experienced people and by following all safety rules, it is considered largely safe.
Để lại một bình luận