New arrests in fatal rope-jumping accident in Brazil

Brazilian police have arrested three additional suspects in connection with the fatal rope-jumping accident of a 21-year-old woman, a week after the incident. The arrests are tied to suspicions of evidence tampering, particularly concerning the disappearance of the camera the victim was carrying during her jump.

Investigating police chief Andréa Levy stated that evidence suggests a potential suppression of crucial information for the investigation. The three new suspects, a 29-year-old woman and two men aged 25 and 27, are believed to be part of the team responsible for organizing and executing the jump. Temporary arrest warrants have been issued for five days, and authorities have authorized searches of mobile phones and electronic devices.

Investigators are also examining evidence that digital content may have been deleted after the accident. The authorities are considering the possibility that the organizers may have knowingly accepted the risk of the woman's death and are also investigating potential obstruction of justice. The young woman fell approximately 40 meters from the decommissioned Ponte do Esqueleto between Limeira and Cordeirópolis in São Paulo state on June 13.

Video footage shows event staff pushing the woman from the platform despite her safety rope remaining unattached on the platform. The three instructors arrested on the day of the accident remain in custody. The team has not yet provided an explanation for the fatal error. The missing camera continues to be a focal point, with police seeking the device as a key piece of evidence to reconstruct the events. An eyewitness reportedly saw an event staff member remove the camera from the victim's body after the impact.