“Even More Devastating”: New Details Emerge After Student Dies in Horror Bungee Jumping Accident

• New information has emerged after a 21-year-old student died during an illegal bungee jump in Brazil, with authorities confirming instructors have been arrested as investigations continue
• An off-duty nurse who rushed to the scene said the young woman was still alive after the 40-metre fall and recalled speaking to her while attempting to provide emergency assistance
• Police have charged three instructors with homicide after the fatal accident, while investigators continue probing how the student was pushed from the bridge without a safety cord attached

New details have emerged following the death of a 21-year-old university student who plunged approximately 40 metres from a bridge during an illegal bungee jumping event in Brazil after she was reportedly pushed without being attached to a safety cord. Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died on Saturday, 13 June 2026, near São Paulo, after staff at an unlicensed rope-jumping site allegedly failed to secure her harness before she was sent off the bridge.

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Authorities have since arrested three instructors on homicide charges as investigations into the fatal incident continue. A nurse who happened to be at the scene has now revealed that the student was still alive when rescuers first reached her, offering fresh insight into the tragic accident that has shocked the country.

Off-duty nurse Rayza Dias said she rushed to the base of the bridge as soon as she realised something had gone wrong. Speaking to Brazilian broadcaster Domingo Espetacular, Dias described the difficult climb down the muddy embankment to reach the injured student.

"I scraped my whole hand because there's a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down. I even talked to her. I have a habit of joking and saying, 'Nobody dies on my shift.' And I told her, 'Duda, nobody dies on my shift,' even though I wasn't on duty there."

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The student later succumbed to her injuries.

Video circulating on social media shows Rodrigues de Freitas being positioned on the bridge before the jump. Moments later, she is pushed from the structure without a safety cord attached, falling approximately 40 metres to the ground below. The incident occurred at an abandoned bridge commonly referred to locally as ‘Skeleton Bridge’, where illegal rope-jumping activities were reportedly taking place. Authorities believe organisers failed to carry out basic safety checks before the jump.

According to New York Post, Brazilian police arrested three instructors connected to the operation and charged them with homicide. According to local reports, two of the suspects allegedly fled the scene following the accident and were later located with the assistance of a military helicopter. A further three people who were working at the illegal jumping site were detained for questioning before later being released without charge.

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Source: Briefly News