Safety rope not attached: Woman dies in Brazil bungee jump

A 21-year-old woman has died during a rope-jumping activity at an extreme sports site in Brazil after operators reportedly failed to attach her safety rope.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas fell approximately 40 metres from the Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, a town in the interior of São Paulo state. Six individuals connected to the organisation of the event were arrested at the scene by local authorities, who have opened a criminal investigation into potential negligence and manslaughter.

According to statements from the Police and eyewitness accounts gathered by first responders, Ms Rodrigues de Freitas was launched from the platform before her primary safety lines were secured. Emergency medical services and firefighters arrived shortly after the incident on Saturday morning, but the victim had sustained multiple catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Moments before the fatal jump, Ms Rodrigues de Freitas had uploaded photographs to her Instagram account displaying her wristbands alongside images of the bridge, Daily Mail reported. The posts included a caption questioning who had allowed her to participate in the activity.

The tragedy has renewed scrutiny of safety oversight at sites popular with adventure tourists.

Limeira's mayor, Murilo Félix, announced that the city council intends to formally raise the issue with federal authorities and press for stronger accountability regarding safety conditions at the location.

He argued that responsibility needs to be established for the absence of access controls at a federally administered area that has long posed known dangers, stressing that adequate protective measures still have not been put in place.