Three Arrested After Woman Dies in São Paulo Rope-Jumping Fall
Brazilian authorities have arrested three men in connection with the death of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, during a rope-jumping activity. Ms Rodrigues de Freitas reportedly fell 40 metres from the Ponte do Esqueleto bridge in São Paulo state on Saturday, after instructors allegedly neglected to attach her safety cord.
Footage circulating online depicts two men holding Ms Rodrigues de Freitas at the bridge's edge, with a third behind her feet, before she was released. An onlooker can be heard shouting at the instructors to secure the cord. Emergency services pronounced her dead at the scene. Police are investigating the incident as potential homicide with eventual intent, a charge indicating an assumption of risk leading to death, according to local reports.
The Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned federal government property, has been a known site for such activities. The City Hall of Limeira has announced its intention to sue the federal government, citing a failure to manage the bridge adequately and alleging that Ms Rodrigues de Freitas's death renders this omission "unsustainable and unacceptable." The instructors were reportedly part of a private company, though some accounts suggest they were members of informal practitioner groups.
