In a tragedy that has shocked the world and sparked outrage over shocking negligence, a young Brazilian woman plunged to her death after adventure operators 'forgot' to attach her safety cord before hurling her from a derelict bridge.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, just 21, was enjoying what should have been a thrilling rope jump experience at the notorious Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, São Paulo state, on Saturday morning when the unimaginable happened.
Heartbreaking final posts: 'Who was the crazy guy who let me jump off a bridge???'Hours before the fatal leap, the vibrant young woman had excitedly shared photos and videos from the bridge on social media, proudly showing off activity bracelets and the dramatic scenery. One caption read: 'Who was the crazy guy who let me jump off a bridge???' – words now tragically poignant.
Little did she know the operators from the company Entre Cordas would make a catastrophic error that would cost her life.
Chilling video captures the deadly push – and the screams of 'The rope! The rope!'Disturbing footage circulating widely on social media shows the horrifying sequence. Maria, harnessed but with no bungee or safety rope attached, is lifted and swung by several workers in blue shirts on the edge of the rusting bridge structure. They count down and launch her forward into the void from around 40 metres up.
Seconds later, panicked voices erupt: 'A corda! Gente, a corda!' ('The rope! Guys, the rope!'). Onlookers scream in despair as they realise the critical safety line was left coiled on the ground far below. Maria fell straight down, suffering fatal polytrauma on impact.
Bystanders rushed to perform first aid, but paramedics from SAMU confirmed she had died at the scene. Her devastated boyfriend, who was present, required medical attention.
Police say the operators simply 'forgot' to secure the equipment. Two workers allegedly fled into nearby woodland and had to be tracked down by helicopter. In total, six people linked to the activity were detained and taken to the local police station for questioning, with three remaining in custody as the Civil Police investigate charges of manslaughter or homicide by negligence.
The company responsible has not publicly commented.
