A 21-year-old woman who fell from a 130-foot bridge during an unlicensed bungee jump in Brazil was still alive when rescuers reached her, according to a nurse who rushed to help after the fall.Maria Eduarda Rodriguez de Freitas died on Saturday after being launched from the abandoned Ponte do Esquilito, or Skeleton Bridge, near São Paulo. Staff failed to properly secure her safety equipment before the jump, leaving her without a bungee cord.The incident was captured on video and then spread on social media. The footage showed three employees lifting Rodriguez de Freitas into position before pushing her off the bridge.
She was wearing a belt, but there was no rope attached.
Raisa Dias, an off-duty nurse, was at the scene. She immediately made her way down the steep embankment below the bridge to reach the injured student.“I scratched my whole hand because there was a very steep slope there and only one rope allowed us to get down,” Dias told a Brazilian TV programme.“Everything was covered in mud. I kept going down, and we walked all the way,” she said, adding that Rodriguez de Freitas was alive when she reached her.
“I even talked to her. I have a habit of joking and saying, ‘No one dies on my shift.’I said to her: Duda [Eduarda]No one dies on my shift. “Even though I wasn’t on my shift there,” she said.Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene, but Rodriguez de Freitas later died from her injuries. A military police helicopter was also sent for rescue.The accident occurred during a bungee jumping trip that included a guided hike and jumping from the decommissioned bridge, which is approximately 130 feet high.The authorities have since launched a criminal investigation into the operators running this activity.Six people were taken to Limeira Police Station for post-mortem questioning. Three men aged 27, 32 and 42 remain in custody on suspicion of reckless homicide, which prosecutors say applies when a person acts knowing their conduct could result in death.Two suspects attempted to escape after the incident and were later tracked down with the help of a military helicopter.
Three other individuals linked to the site were arrested, but were later released without charges.Lawyers representing the three arrested men told Jornal Nacional that the operators were experienced in organizing bungee jumps and that this was the first death after years of running such activities.However, local authorities said the group lacked the necessary credentials and were not allowed to work on the bridge.
