A woman has died in what seems to be a tragic extreme sports mishap in Brazil.
Three men have been taken into custody following the incident, where instructors failed to secure a rope to her before assisting her leap from a bridge in São Paulo state.
Over the weekend, footage circulated widely on social media showing Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas being carried to the edge of the disused bridge and then released on Saturday. She plunged 40 meters (130 feet), and emergency responders declared her dead at the scene.
According to local news outlet Globo, police are now probing whether the men are liable for homicide with eventual intent—a scenario where an individual does not directly intend to kill but accepts the risk of causing death.
The event took place at Ponte do Esqueleto, located on the boundary between Limeira and Cordeirópolis, in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil.
In the video shared on social media, two men wearing white helmets are seen holding Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, by her arms, while a third man supports her feet from behind.
As she is thrown off the bridge, a bystander yells at the instructors to attach her cord.
The three men were equipped with harnesses that appear to be linked to a safety rope.
Rodrigues de Freitas was interred the following day.
Rope-jumping is an extreme sport distinct from bungee jumping.
It employs low-stretch climbing ropes that transform the fall into a horizontal, pendulum-like swing, whereas bungee jumping utilizes an elastic rubber cord that produces a vertical, bouncing motion.
The bridge, known as "Skeleton Bridge," has been deserted for years and is under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Brazil's Secretariat of Federal Assets (SPU) stated it was "available to assist the authorities in the investigations."
The City Hall of Limeira (SP) announced plans to sue the federal government for failing to properly maintain the bridge.
It noted that it "had been adopting administrative measures and demanding action from the federal agencies responsible for the area."
Rodrigues de Freitas' death "makes the continuation of this omission unsustainable and unacceptable," the statement added.
Local officials indicated that the instructors were associated with a private company offering rope-jumping activities, although some local reports suggest they may have belonged to informal groups of practitioners.