The tragic rope-jump accident that claimed the life of a 21-year-old Brazilian student has taken another heartbreaking turn as details from her funeral have emerged.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas lost her life last week, on June 13, after she was thrown from a platform at Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) in Limeira, São Paulo, without the safety rope attached.
She was buried on Sunday, June 14, in her hometown, exactly one day after the tragic accident.
“This whole thing is f**king sick. This poor family has been through so much,” wrote one netizen.
Details of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas’ funeral service have sparked widespread outrage online
Image credits: dudz.rodrigueess
Maria Eduarda tragically fell 40 meters (131 feet) from the abandoned Ponte do Esqueleto (Skeleton Bridge) after three instructors, who were captured in multiple witness videos, launched her from the platform.
Freitas succumbed to multiple traumatic injuries, and her final moments before the tragedy were caught on camera.
Image credits: EPTV
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In viral videos, three employees were seen carrying her toward the jumping structure in a Superman position. Moments later, she was thrown from the platform.
Seconds after her launch, people screamed in panic, “The rope!” but it was too late.
Witnesses alleged that the operators failed to perform a final gear or connection check before sending her off the ledge, resulting in the fatal failure to attach her to the safety rope.
Image credits: Mustafa Çimen/pexels (not an actual photo)
Following the fatal plunge, local police arrested the three instructors on charges of homicide with eventual intent, a specific legal classification under the Brazilian Penal Code.
The charge applies when a person does not explicitly intend to k*ll but knowingly engages in highly dangerous conduct while accepting that it could result in someone’s passing.
As the investigation remains ongoing, the Daily Mail published a report earlier today, on June 19, detailing Maria’s funeral service.
The 21-year-old lost her life after staff members threw her from a rope-jump platform without first attaching the safety rope
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The 21-year-old was buried in her hometown of Jandira, Greater São Paulo, at the Cemitério Municipal de Jandira.
Her service was attended by grieving family members, close friends, and colleagues from the fitness center where the physical education student worked as an instructor.
The Cemitério Municipal de Jandira is a public, state-regulated cemetery and wake facility.
Image credits: BalançoGeral-h7h
Like many municipal cemeteries in Brazil, Jandira faces strict spatial limitations and therefore has a public, state-subsidized burial section.
Bodies buried in these temporary public plots are permitted to remain there for a fixed period, typically three to four years, after which families receive an official municipal summons to carry out a legal exhumation.
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The bones are carefully cleaned and placed into a significantly smaller bone urn, which is then stored in a municipal ossuary. This frees up the burial plot for a new interment.
The Daily Mail reported that Maria was buried in one of these rotational public plots, and her family will have to find a new resting place for her once the four-year period expires.
Her grieving mother reportedly said at the funeral service, “How much your departure hurts me. I love you eternally, my princess”
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In an image exclusively obtained by the outlet, the mound of her grave featured four large bouquets bearing heartbreaking messages.
One message reportedly read, “The memory of your smile will remain in our memory,” while another said, “Your family misses you.”
According to a worker at the cemetery, “There were a lot of people. What happened to that girl is so sad.”
Image credits: BalançoGeral-h7h
The worker further told the British tabloid, “Her grave is one of those owned by the city that is used for different bodies. Each one has four years before the body must be removed and placed somewhere else to free it up for another burial.”
The details upset many people online, some of whom urged the grieving family to set up a GoFundMe.
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One such comment read, “Her family is one of the ones that would actually be appropriate and deserving to have a GoFundMe set up for her family.”
Another user added, “This is so sad, why can’t the government help with a permanent grave, bless her. Someone somewhere, please help this poor family.”
Three staff members have been formally charged with homicide with eventual intent in connection with the tragic accident
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“This poor family has been through so much. The state should help them get a grave for her,” commented a third.
“I don’t think where her body end up is important. She is no longer in her body. Her d**th was criminal and people should pay the price for that. They should be punished.”
Some reports online also claim that during the service, Freitas’ mother, trembling with unimaginable pain, said, “How much your departure hurts me. I love you eternally, my princess.”
Image credits: dudz.rodrigueess
The three arrested staff members in connection with the tragedy have been identified as Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra.
During police interrogation, Egoroff argued that equipment checks were carried out “jointly” by whoever happened to be near the platform, resulting in a complete lapse in accountability.
Moreover, he and Cintra claimed to have experienced a “blackout” while preparing and launching Maria from the platform.
They stated that they could not remember where, when, or how the fatal equipment failure occurred.
All three instructors remain in custody awaiting trial. If convicted, they face prison sentences ranging from 6 to 30 years under Brazilian law.
“I hope this girl’s family receive justice and financial compensation, not that this will bring their daughter back,” wrote one user
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