Bungee jumper survives after cord snaps

Erin Langworthy's cord snapped as she leapt from a bridge over a gorge 111 metres above the Zambezi riverAn Australian tourist survived after getting more thrills than she had bargained during a bungee jump in Zambia when the cord attached to her feet snapped, sending her plunging into fast flowing rapids below.Footage of the incident shows Erin Langworthy, 22, leaping from a bridge which crosses a gorge 111 metres above the Zambezi river at Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfall.It shows the cord snapping as she reached the bottom of her descent, when she was still around 20 metres above the water, the Zambia Post reported.With her feet still tied, Langworthy plunged head first into the Zambezi before swimming to the side of the river."It was quite scary because a couple of times the rope actually got caught on some rocks or debris," she told Australia's Channel Nine television network."I actually had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface."Channel Nine reported that Ms Langworthy, a backpacker from Perth, spent a week in hospital following the incident, which happened on New Year's Eve.Officials in Zambia have since launched an investigation into the incident and have said they believe the bungee jump remains safe.The country's tourism minister, Given Lubinda, told the Lusaka Times around 50,000 people made the leap each year at the world-famous tourist spot.He said: "The bungee has proven to be a very viable operation considering that more than 50,000 tourists jump on it every year."It 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."Hundreds of tourists a week each pay around �80 to make a bungee jump at Victoria Falls from the British-built road and rail bridge.The Zambian tourism board's website describes the experience as "the highest commercial bridge jump in the world in the most spectacular setting"."This must be the ultimate adrenaline rush, as you leap into space, free as a bird, saved from the swirling water below by the rebound of the cord, then hurtled upwards again at great speed," it adds.ZambiaAfricaAustraliaVictoria FallsAdventure travelBen Quinnguardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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