Cape Town - An aspiring fashion designer who studied in Cape Town has died in a bungee jump accident. She smashed into the side of a low bridge after leaping from a higher one.
It is alleged that organisers may have “miscalculated” the length of the rope.
Kleyo De Abreu, 23, who studied design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) but recently moved back to Britain, jumped off a modern bridge near a mountain village in Spain but died instantly when she swung into the side of a old Roman bridge 80m below.
On Wednesday it emerged that she had completed the same jump without incident earlier in the day but her second attempt went horribly wrong.
After hitting the stone bridge, she was left dangling lifeless from the rope for 25 minutes before being rescued. Her devastated aunt was on the bridge and watched the horrific events unfold.
On Wednesday 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 firm at the centre of the tragedy, which offers a bungee jump and beers to tourists for R349 a go.
De Abreu was born in London but raised in Cape Town, after her parents separated. She recently returned to Britain 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. It is understood that he had only recently been reunited with her.
“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 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 like to make sure this doesn’t happen again to anybody else.”
De Abreu moved back to Britain in March after graduating from CPUT. She appeared to be enjoying life in London, regularly posting photographs and videos on her social media account. In a post on Facebook, friend and fellow CPUT student Emma Jeane wrote: “Part of me was on the end of a bungee.”
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 at 2.45pm on Tuesday.
The village of Lanjaron where it happened is about 56km from Granada on the southern flanks of the Sierra Nevada.
The modern metal bridge crossing the River Tablate has a drop of about 80m 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.”
The firm De Abreu was using was called ActivitiSport, which is based in the village of Huetor Vega near Granada. The company also offers white water rafting and paint balling and 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 R349. No one from ActivitiSport could be reached for comment.
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 Spanish police, 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 80m from the much newer bridge.”