A 21-year-old woman fell to her death after rope skipping workers forgot to attach a safety rope before teachers threw her off a bridge in Brazil.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was thrown from the Ponte do Esqueleto, a disused bridge in the municipality of Limeira, São Paulo, on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The woman was seen being introduced in a bridge plane, with two instructors lifting her above their shoulders as she extended her arms.
Pictures shared online show two men throwing Freitas into the 40-meter abyss, allegedly without attaching him to any safety equipment, as bystanders screamed at the instructors to attach him to the rope.
The instructors wore harnesses that appeared to be connected to the guard rope.
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A police helicopter was called for a rescue, but Freitas died at the scene, according to Brazilian outlet G1.
The Brazilian police have arrested three men who worked at the company that overrode the woman’s death, the Associated Press reported.
Officials have begun an investigation that may lead to murder charges.
Limeira City Hall has announced it will sue the federal government following Freitas’ death on the bridge, known as the Skeleton Bridge.
“Since the beginning of 2025, the municipal authorities have been taking administrative measures and are demanding measures from the government agencies responsible for this area,” said the statement of the City Hall of Limeira. “The tragedy of this Saturday (13), which resulted in the death of a 21-year-old woman, makes the continuation of this action unacceptable and unacceptable.”
Limeira City Hall said the responsibility to inspect, maintain and control access to the Skeleton Bridge lies solely with the federal government.
“In addition to the circumstances that led to the death of a young woman, it is necessary to investigate the responsibility for the lack of control of access to the territory of the state, for many years, which has presented known dangers and continues without the necessary protective measures. The city hall and the city council have been demanding for months that measures be taken so that the federal government can take responsibility,” said Mayor Murilo Félix.
“Unfortunately, the exclusion of the federal government has recently led to another tragedy in Limeira,” Félix added.
Rope jumping is an extreme sport that differs from bungee jumping in the type of rope used and the resulting movement of the fall. Bungee jumping uses elastic rubber cords that create a vertical, bouncy effect, while rope skipping uses simple ascending cords that turn the fall into a horizontal, pendulum swing.
In 2023, a tourist visiting a park in Thailand had a near-death experience while bungee jumping when the bungee cord broke during the descent.
Footage of the incident shows a man in free fall when the bungee cord tied to his feet snaps, just milliseconds before the end of the descent. The man’s body bounced into the water below at high speed.
He was able to swim back to the surface but his ankles were still tied together by what was left of the bungee cord.
Park staff helped the man out of the water and he was taken to a local hospital.
-via files from the Associated Press
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