LIMEIRA, Brazil — A 21-year-old woman was thrown to her death from a 130-foot-high abandoned bridge during a bungee jump after instructors allegedly forgot to attach her safety cord, in a horrifying incident blamed on staff rushing to clear a long queue of thrill-seekers.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, an aspiring physical education teacher, died on Saturday after plunging from the Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, São Paulo state. She had requested a special “airplane-style” or Superman jump, in which she was lifted horizontally onto the shoulders of two instructors with her arms outstretched before being released.

Shocking video circulating online shows Maria being carried to the edge of the bridge and launched into the ravine — with the bungee cord visibly coiled on the platform behind her, unattached. Bystanders can be heard screaming “the rope, people, the rope!” moments after she was thrown.

According to witnesses and an adventurer who jumped earlier that day, the bungee team was under pressure to process a large backlog of participants after rain delays. Emanuel, who was the second of 93 people to jump that day, told local media the organization “left a lot to be desired” as staff rushed through the queue.

Maria had paid around £27 for the jump and extra for a 360-degree GoPro camera, which was seen in her hand before the fatal leap. The camera has not been recovered and is now a key piece of evidence.

Three instructors — Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42; Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32; and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27 — have been arrested and charged with homicide with “dolo eventual” (conscious acceptance of the risk of death). During questioning, the men reportedly appeared disoriented and could not clearly explain who was responsible for attaching and checking the safety equipment.

One instructor admitted there was no fixed protocol for safety checks, with responsibilities often blurred among the team.

A nurse who was at the scene rushed down the embankment and found Maria still showing faint signs of life, with a weak pulse. She attempted to keep her conscious until help arrived, but the young woman succumbed to her traumatic injuries.

Maria’s fiancé, who witnessed the tragedy, suffered a medical emergency and was hospitalized. She was buried in São Paulo on Sunday.

The bungee operation, reportedly run by companies including Entre Cordas and Lh Voei, has come under intense scrutiny. The incident has sparked outrage across Brazil, with many questioning how basic safety procedures were overlooked in such a high-risk activity.

This heartbreaking case serves as a stark reminder of the critical importance of rigorous safety protocols in extreme sports. Investigations are ongoing.