Shocking new details emerge in Brazil bungee-jumping accident: 21-year-old may have been alive after fatal 130-foot fall

Shocking new details have emerged in the Brazil bungee-jumping accident. Reports suggest that Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, the 21-year-old woman, died when she was allegedly pushed off a bridge without being attached to a safety rope, and may have been alive even after hitting the ground 130 feet below.

What happened in Brazil?

A bungee-jumping event in Brazil has come under criminal investigation after a 21-year-old woman died due to safety lapses during bungee jumping. The victim, identified as Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, fell approximately 40 metres (130 feet) from a structure known locally as Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, a city in São Paulo state, on Saturday.

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According to local reports, Freitas was participating in a recreational bungee-jumping event when the catastrophic safety failure occurred. Video circulating on social media appears to show operators carrying her to the edge of the bridge before she is thrown down. Moments later, witnesses can be heard shouting that no safety rope had been attached. Watch video here - Viewer discretion advised:

New horrifying details emerge

Initial reports suggested that Freitas died instantly. However, new details indicate she may have survived the impact for a brief period.

Rayza Dias, an off-duty nurse who was at the scene, told Brazilian media that the young woman was still alive when rescuers reached her. Dias said Freitas remained conscious for a short time after the fall and that she attempted to reassure her while emergency assistance was being provided.

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The tragedy has drawn widespread attention across Brazil, in part because of a social media post Freitas shared shortly before the jump. In an Instagram story featuring a photograph of the bridge, she reportedly wrote: "Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge???"

Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident. According to Brazilian media reports, six people connected to the organisation and operation of the event have been taken into custody, including five men and one woman.

Investigators are examining whether safety procedures were ignored and how a participant could have been allowed to jump without being secured to a bungee cord. Witnesses told police that event staff may have simply forgotten to attach the safety rope before pushing Freitas from the platform.