The photo shows the woman shortly before the fatal jump.x
June 16, 2026, 11:57 p.mJune 16, 2026, 11:57 p.m
After a young woman’s fatal rope jumping accident in Brazil, the disappearance of her camera poses a mystery. The team had no explanation as to why the device could no longer be found, said one of the three arrested instructors, according to published interrogation recordings reported by the news portal “G1”.
The accused also stated that they could not understand how the fatal accident could have occurred. The 21-year-old fell around 40 meters from the disused Ponte do Esqueleto between the cities of Limeira and Cordeirópolis in the state of São Paulo on Saturday after the organizers pushed her off the jumping platform without a safety rope connected.
Video footage shows three employees carrying the woman to the edge of the bridge and throwing her down. The safety rope remained unattached on the platform. According to “G1”, two of the accused admitted during their interviews that they were responsible for preparing the ropes, but were unable to explain the distribution of tasks within the team in more detail.
Eyewitness describes event
According to witnesses, the 21-year-old had a camera with her during the jump. An eyewitness now reported that after the impact he observed an employee of the event team removing the camera from the victim’s body. “The first scene I remember when I saw the girl on the ground was an employee removing the GoPro camera from the neck strap of the body already on the ground, worried about the equipment or about hiding evidence,” “G1” quoted Rafael Goulart as saying.
The defendant’s lawyer announced an application for his client’s release. They had neither the intention to cause the woman’s death nor consciously accepted the risk of a fatal outcome, he explained.
Rope jumping is an extreme sport in which participants jump into the depths using static ropes. Unlike bungee jumping, the fall is cushioned by a pendulum movement. The sport is not specifically regulated in Brazil. After the accident, there is discussion about demolishing the disused bridge. (sda/dpa)