A day after a young rope-jumper died in Brazil, another woman has plunged to her death in a hiking accident. Rosemary Suzart Garcia, 59, was with 14 other hikers when she fell 30 metres from a cave in Marica, in the area known as Gruta do Spar, according to G1.
Details of the Accident
The group was hiking a steep trail when witnesses told police that Garcia stopped to apply bug spray. While lifting one leg, her supporting foot gave way, causing her to lose her balance and be thrown towards the precipice.
The guide told police that he ran towards the victim and tried to grab her arm, but couldn't reach her in time. He threw himself towards her but managed to grab onto a root in the area, thus avoiding falling himself.
Giovani Maximino, a fellow hiker who witnessed the accident, said, "The guide tried to hold her and almost fell too. It's a height of approximately 30 metres. She was just finishing applying insect repellent. It was very fast!"
Emergency Response
Fire crews received reports at about 10:45 a.m. local time on Sunday, but when they arrived at the scene, Garcia was already dead. Maximino told the outlet that Garcia, who lived in Cordovil in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro, called her children to give them the tragic news.
Investigation and Statements
The Municipality of Marica said in a statement that they were not investigating the matter, explaining that the area is private and located within the boundaries of the Marica Municipal Wildlife Refuge. "Because it is private property, the City Hall is not responsible for authorizing, inspecting, or prohibiting rappelling activities carried out on the site," the statement said. "The circumstances of the accident will be investigated by the competent authorities." Brazil's Civil Police said they have conducted a forensic examination of the scene and the investigation is ongoing.
Previous Rope-Jumping Tragedy
Garcia's deadly fall comes one day after Maria Eduardo Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was hurled off a bridge near Sao Paulo during a rope-jumping expedition with no rope attached. Six people have been arrested following the tragedy, which was caught on camera.
Instructors Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, admitted to investigators that they "blacked out" and couldn't remember who was supposed to attach the victim's safety line, according to newly released interrogation footage obtained by TV globo affiliate EPTV.
Egoroff told authorities that he and Cintra were responsible for attaching the rope, but claimed he "can't remember" the moments after they walked Rodrigues de Freitas to the edge of the platform. "After that, it erased from my mind," he said. Cintra said it wasn't one person who tethered the rope to the jumpers, and they took turns. "It's us three on the job. I can't understand at what moment I didn't see the rope. I simply cannot understand," he told police.
It wasn't until a witness recording her jump panned the camera over to the rope coiled on the ground, shouting, "The rope!" when they realized the mistake. An off-duty nurse who ran down to the trail where Rodrigues de Freitas' body was said the young woman was still alive when she got to her, but died from her injuries shortly after. The three men have been charged with homicide and remain behind bars as the investigation continues.
