A woman rope jumping from a bridge in Brazil’s São Paulo State on Saturday died after instructors failed to attach her to safety equipment, according to the Civil Police of the State of São Paulo.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, of Jandira, São Paulo, was thrown from the abandoned Ponte do Esqueleto, or Skeleton Bridge, a popular spot for rope jumping about 100 miles northwest of the city of São Paulo. The bridge stands about 30 meters, or just under 100 feet, above the ground, according to a police report reviewed by The New York Times.
Rope jumping is similar to bungee jumping but differs in the type of rope used: While a bungee rope stretches to bounce the jumper up and down, rope jumping uses a less flexible rope that swings outward when it goes taut. Ms. de Freitas, however, was not connected to any rope.
Videos of the incident, which went viral on social media over the weekend, showed Ms. de Freitas lifted over the heads of two instructors, her arms spread like wings, before they threw her off the side of the bridge. The two instructors appeared to be wearing harnesses attached to a rope, and a third helped hoist her up by the ankles before stepping back as she was carried to the edge.