Brazil student was alive after fatal 130-foot bungee fall, nurse says

A nurse who rushed to the aid of a Brazilian student who was thrown off a 130-foot bridge during a bungee jump has revealed that the young woman was still alive when rescuers reached her after the horrific fall.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, died after apparently being pushed from an abandoned bridge near Sao Paulo without a safety cord attached during an unlicensed bungee jump on Saturday. The incident, captured on video and widely shared on social media, has sparked outrage across Brazil.

Speaking to Brazilian television network Domingo Espetacular, off-duty nurse Rayza Dias said she raced down a steep, muddy slope to reach Rodrigues de Freitas after the fall and found her alive.

“I even talked to her,” Dias said. “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 my shift there.”

Dias described the difficult rescue effort, saying she injured her hands while scrambling down the muddy terrain to reach the victim at the base of the bridge, known locally as “Skeleton Bridge.”

Authorities have arrested three bungee jump operators on homicide charges in connection with the incident. According to reports, two of the suspects allegedly fled after the tragedy and were later located with the help of a military helicopter. Three other workers linked to the operation were detained but subsequently released without charge.

Investigators are examining how the fatal mistake occurred and whether safety procedures were ignored at the unauthorised adventure tourism site.

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