Bungee jump tragedy as Briton hits bridge af ter 260ft plunge
AN ASPIRING British fashion designer has been killed in a bungee jump accident after organisers allegedly ‘miscalculated’ the length of the rope.
Kleyo De Abreu, 23, jumped off a modern bridge near a mountain village in Spain but died instantly when she smashed into the side of a Roman bridge 260ft below.
Yesterday it emerged that she had completed the same jump without incident earlier in the day but her second one went horribly wrong.
After hitting the stone bridge, she was left dangling lifeless from the rope for 25 minutes before she could be rescued. Her devastated aunt was on the bridge and watched the horrific events unfold in front of her.
Last night, police said they were investigating if the length of her bungee rope had been ‘miscalculated’ and was too long.
Concerns were also raised about the adventure
‘She had all her life
ahead of her’
firm at the centre of the tragedy, which offers a bungee jump and beers to tourists for £18 a go.
Miss De Abreu was born in London but raised in Cape Town, South Africa, after her parents separated. She had recently returned to the UK and was living in Brixton, south London.
Her father, Bernard Atwell, 49, from London, said relatives were in shock at the death of his daughter who loved vintage clothes. He had only recently been reunited with her, it is understood.
‘My primary concern is for people when they are just having fun,’ he said. ‘ My daughter is gone and nothing is going to bring her back, but I have spoken to the family and we are all on the same page – we don’t want something like this to happen again.
‘Every father will say this but she was very special, she was a very beautiful young woman who had all her life ahead of her. She was 23 years old but to me she will always be my little baby and I would very much like to make sure this doesn’t happen again to anybody else.’
Miss De Abreu was visiting her aunt Gabriela and cousins in Spain after travelling through Morocco with her boyfriend and was on her second jump of the day when the tragedy occurred around 2.45pm on Tuesday.
The village of Lanjaron where it happened is about 35 miles from Granada on the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada.
The modern metal bridge crossing the River Tablate has a drop of 260ft and is a popular bungee jumping site used by several adventure sports firms. One website claims that bungee jumping from the bridge is a ‘hair-raising’ experience due to the closeness of the ravine walls during the fall. Another boasts: ‘If you want a huge dose of adrenaline this is your bridge.’
Miss De Abreu moved back to the UK in March after graduating from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. She appeared to be enjoying life in London, regularly posting photographs and videos on her social media account.
The firm Miss de Abreu was using was called ActivitiSport, which is based in the village of Huetor Vega near to Granada. The company also offers white water rafting, paint balling, skiing and caters for hen and stag dos. It says all its activities are co-ordinated by ‘experienced, qualified professionals’. On its Twitter page, it advertises bungee jumps from the bridge with a video and beers for only €25 (£18).
A worker at another adventure company which does bungee jumping from the same bridge said it was normal for beer cans to be left on the bridge after the company organised jumps, and described the combination of alcohol and bungee jumping as ‘worrying’.
An investigating judge has begun an inquiry. A spokesman for the Guardia Civil said: ‘Firefighters and Guardia Civil rescuers reached the British woman about 25 minutes after being called to the scene but she was already dead. Her aunt was present and witnessed the tragedy.
‘An investigation is under way and it is too early at this stage to draw any conclusions, but the fact the dead woman was still attached to the rope would appear to suggest that there’s been a miscalculation about the length of the rope or that something went wrong with the rope when she jumped.
‘She died after smashing into an older bridge which lies about 260ft from the much newer bridge, which she jumped from.’
There were no bungee jumpers at the bridge yesterday afternoon. No one from ActivitiSport could be reached for comment.