Woman, 21, dies after being thrown from Brazil rope jump bridge without harness

The Guardian reports that Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after two rope-jumping instructors at Ponte do Esqueleto bridge in Limeira, Brazil launched her from a 40-meter height without attaching her to safety equipment. She had requested an "airplane style" launch with instructors hoisting her above their shoulders. Police investigator Andrea Levy confirmed that three instructors involved acknowledged the safety ropes were never attached, though they could not recall who was responsible for the oversight; all three have been arrested and face potential manslaughter charges. The article is sourced from named police officials and includes video evidence of the incident, supplemented by eyewitness accounts and technical explanation of rope jumping versus bungee jumping mechanics. Independent coverage from BBC, Washington Post, and Telegraph corroborates the core facts—victim's age, location, failure to attach safety equipment, and arrests—though reporting varies on the exact number arrested (three versus six cited in some outlets), suggesting potential discrepancies in ongoing police documentation that warrant clarification. Watch for formal charges and any investigation findings into facility safety protocols and staff training standards at Ponte do Esqueleto.