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Aussie plunges into Zambezi river after bungee cord snaps
Backpacker tells how she had to disentangle rope underwater after going headlong into the river
AN AUSTRALIAN backpacker who plunged headlong into the Zambezi river when her bungee cord snapped has told how close she came to drowning. Video shot by one of those watching from the bridge has gone viral.
"It was quite scary because a couple of times the rope actually caught on some rocks or debris,” Erin Langworthy, 22, told Australia's Channel Nine TV. “I actually had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface."
The incident took place on New Year's day at the Victoria Falls in Zambia when Langworthy, who comes from Perth, jumped from the bridge 111 meters above the river. At the point where the bungee cord should have yanked her safely back up into the air, it snapped, sending her headfirst, with feet tied together, into the river while her friends look on in horror.
An investigation has been launched by local officials, who were at pains to point out the bungee jump spot's good safety record. Zambian tourism minister Given Lubinda told the Lusaka Times: "It [the jump company] has been in operation for 10 years. This is the first time I am hearing of an incident. The probability of an incident is one in 500,000 jumps.
Langworthy didn’t meet any crocodiles, but she did suffer severe bruising. She was pulled from the water further downstream and spent the night in hospital as a precaution.
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