Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas Dies in Brazil Bungee Jumping Accident

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died on Saturday in a brazil bungee jumping accident at the Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, after staff pushed her from the edge without a safety rope attached. The 21-year-old fell about 130 feet into a ravine and medics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Witnesses told the Military Police that workers apparently forgot to tie her to a safety cord before pushing her over. Bystanders shouted that she did not have a rope tied to her as she fell, according to witness accounts given to police.

Limeira and Entre Cordas

Freitas had posted images from the bridge before the fall, showing the event, its setup, equipment, and other participants. One of those images showed a banner for Entre Cordas, the business responsible for the bungee jumping. Her fiancé was also at the event and later received medical treatment after becoming ill on hearing of her death.

Freitas was carried onto the platform by two men and then shoved from the edge. She plummeted some 40 meters into a canyon, and some organizers reportedly ran from the scene shortly after she fell. Authorities later located two organizers who had fled with the aid of a police helicopter that surveyed a patch of woodland next to the bridge.

Civil Police custody

Six people connected to the event have been taken into custody, including five men and one woman. The Civil Police department is investigating the incident and will decide whether the arrested suspects will be charged with crimes. The case now turns on how investigators interpret the sequence on the bridge: who attached the equipment, who ordered the jump, and why the cord was not in place when Freitas was pushed.