A 21-year-old woman died in what appears to be a tragic extreme sports accident in Brazil after instructors failed to attach a rope to her before helping her jump from a bridge in São Paulo state, according to the BBC.

Tragic Fall from Abandoned Bridge

The incident occurred at the Ponte do Esqueleto, an abandoned bridge located on the border of Limeira and Cordeirópolis in the interior of São Paulo state. Footage of the incident went viral over the weekend, showing Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas being carried to the edge of the bridge before being let go on Saturday. She fell 40m (130ft) and emergency services pronounced her dead at the scene.

In the footage posted on social media, two men in white helmets can be seen holding Rodrigues de Freitas by her arms while a third is behind holding her feet. When she was cast off the bridge, an onlooker screamed at the instructors to attach her cord. The three men were wearing harnesses that appeared to be attached to a security rope.

Police Investigation into Homicide Charges

Police are now investigating whether the three men are culpable of homicide with eventual intent—a legal term used when someone does not have the direct intention to kill but assumes the risk of doing so, according to local news site Globo. Three men have been arrested over the incident.

Rodrigues de Freitas was buried the following day. The incident has raised questions about the safety of extreme sports and the responsibilities of instructors and authorities. The bridge, known as the Skeleton Bridge, has been abandoned for years and falls under the responsibility of the federal government.

Local and Federal Government Response

Brazil’s Secretariat of Federal Assets (SPU) said it was “available to assist the authorities in the investigations.” Meanwhile, the City Hall of Limeira (SP) announced it would sue the federal government for failing to adequately manage the bridge. The city stated it “had been adopting administrative measures and demanding action from the federal agencies responsible for the area.”

Rodrigues de Freitas’ death “makes the continuation of this omission unsustainable and unacceptable,” the city’s statement continued. Local officials said the instructors had belonged to a private company that offered rope-jumping activities, though some local reports suggest they may have belonged to informal groups of practitioners.

Rope-jumping is an extreme sport that differs from bungee jumping. It uses low-stretch climbing ropes that convert the fall into a horizontal, pendulum swing, while bungee jumping uses an elastic rubber cord that creates a vertical, bouncing effect.