In a horrifying repeat of a preventable tragedy that has stunned the global adventure tourism industry, 29-year-old Brazilian teacher Letícia Silva plunged to her death from the 43-metre platform at the iconic Kawarau Bridge Bungy Centre in Queenstown, New Zealand, on June 18, 2026 — the second such fatal incident at the same site in just six days. Workers had failed to attach the bungee cord to her harness before she was told to jump.

Letícia, a high-school English teacher from Rio de Janeiro on her first solo adventure trip abroad, had been smiling and waving at the camera moments before leaping. A 12-second video released by New Zealand police shows her giving a thumbs-up, laughing nervously, and shouting “Here I go!” before stepping off the edge. The rope remained coiled on the platform. She fell freely, striking the rocky riverbed below. She was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ at the scene.

The Kawarau Bridge Bungy Centre, operated by AJ Hackett Bungy — the company that invented commercial bungee jumping — has now suspended all operations indefinitely following the second death in a week. The June 12 fatality of 21-year-old New Zealander Maria Gonzalez had already triggered a safety audit. Investigators have confirmed that in both cases, the same critical error occurred: the cord was not reattached after equipment checks between jumpers.

“This is beyond negligence — it is catastrophic system failure,” said WorkSafe New Zealand investigator Sarah Thompson. “Two young women are ᴅᴇᴀᴅ because basic double-check protocols were ignored. The industry cannot claim these were isolated incidents.”

Letícia’s family in Brazil has been devastated. Her mother, Maria Silva, told GloboNews through tears: “She was our light — a teacher who inspired hundreds of students, a daughter who dreamed of seeing the world. They took her life because someone forgot to clip a rope.” Her school in Rio has set up a memorial fund that has already raised more than R$180,000 (approximately $32,000 USD) for her students’ scholarships.

The company’s statement expressed “profound sorrow” and confirmed that the two jump masters and one ᴀssistant involved in Letícia’s jump have been stood down pending criminal investigation. Queenstown police have charged three staff members with manslaughter by negligence. The centre’s general manager, who had been on duty during both incidents, resigned on June 19.

The back-to-back tragedies have reignited fierce debate over adventure tourism safety standards worldwide. Queenstown, marketed as the “adventure capital of the world,” attracts more than 100,000 bungee jumpers annually. Experts note that even one lapse in the two-person verification system can prove fatal. Calls for mandatory real-time video monitoring, third-party oversight, and automatic harness sensors are now being heard from regulators in New Zealand, Brazil, and beyond.

Letícia’s smiling face in the final video has become a haunting symbol. Friends in Rio described her as “fearless but responsible,” someone who had researched every safety detail before booking the jump. “She trusted the professionals,” one colleague said. “That trust cost her everything.”

As the investigation deepens, the families of both victims are demanding answers and accountability. Two young women — one Brazilian teacher, one Kiwi student — are ᴅᴇᴀᴅ because a rope was never attached. The industry’s reputation may never fully recover from this double failure of basic human responsibility.