Bungee jumper dies after having mid-air heart attack over huge ravine

22 February 2024 , 20:42

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The man died in the Cajón del Maipo canyon near Santiago (Image: Getty Images)

A young thrillseeker taking part in a bungee jump died mid air, leaving his lifeless body dangling from a crane.

The 23-year-old took part in the high octane event over the Cajón del Maipo canyon near Santiago, Chile. Tragedy struck when he suffered a heart attack moments after stepping off the ledge and died in the air. The unnamed victim, understood to have attended the event with his mother and sister, had to be cut down by firefighters.

Public prosecutor Juan Cheuquiante arrived at the scene to gather information. It remains unclear whether the young man had an underlying health problem before taking part in the jump. An investigation into his death has been launched.

Last year a man who went bungee jumping to celebrate his ended up plunging nearly 70ft and breaking his neck when the rope snapped. Rafael dos Santos Tosta fractured his neck and lumbar spine in the fall at the Lagoa Azul (Blue Lagoon) in Campo Magro, Brazil.

Incredibly, the 22-year-old survived the ordeal and was set to begin intensive therapy following his 20-metre plunge at the beauty spot on February 11. Rafael had gone to the spot - a lagoon in a disused quarry - to do a bridge swing to celebrate his divorce.

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The activity, which is similar to bungee jumping, consists of free-falling before becoming a "human pendulum" as one swings in a huge arc. After miraculously surviving the horror plunge - albeit with lasting injuries - Rafael told local media: "I have always been a very calm person, but things changed recently.

"After the divorce, I wanted to enjoy life in every way possible. I was doing a lot of crazy things. I was not valuing my life at all.”

Rafael had gone to do the bridge swing with a cousin and a pal three days before his 22nd birthday.

He told local media: "You start to see life and be grateful for everything. It's not that I didn't care before, but I didn't look at it with this perspective. My life will never be the same. I don't want to be the Rafael I was before. I have to be thankful for being alive, which is already a very big thing.”

He fractured his neck and lumbar spine, hurt his back and face, and sustained other injuries in the fall.

Antony Clements-Thrower