WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT An engaged couple were killed in a bungee jumping accident in Italy after the snap-hooks fastening their cord to the bridge are believed to have failed, causing them to plunge to the canyon floor
The couple jumped off a bridge, unaware they would be falling to their deaths (stock image) (Image: Didi_Lavchieva via Getty Images)
An engaged couple plunged more than 300ft to their deaths in what should have been an exhilarating tandem bungee jumping experience, but instead turned into a devastating tragedy.
Bungee jumping is an extreme sport loved by countless thrill-seekers, in which a person leaps headfirst from an elevated structure such as a bridge, towering building, cliff, crane and more, while attached to a strong, elastic cord.
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It delivers the sensation of free-falling, before the elastic cord stretches and absorbs the force of the fall, bouncing and launching the jumper skywards until the momentum of the fall fades. Typically, jumpers are then lowered to ground level or a designated recovery platform.
Yet for Italian couple Alberto Galletti and Tiziana Accora, their bungee jump would end in a devastating tragedy.
It was 1 May 2002, and the pair made their way to the Ponte Canale bridge at the Polino Bungee Jumping Centre near Terni, in central Italy, roughly 60 miles north of Rome.
The couple were engaged at the time of their deaths (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)
In a deeply distressing turn of events, the centre was preparing to close early for the May Day bank holiday when the couple contacted manager Lorenzo Illuminati and pleaded with him to stay open a little longer so they could jump together.
Alberto, a 25-year-old paratrooper at the time, and Tiziana Accora, then a 26-year-old student, leapt together from the towering bridge, but rather than springing back up on the cord, they fell 330 feet to their deaths below.
Tragically, the snap-hooks securing their cord to the bridge gave way, causing them to plummet to the canyon floor.
As was standard practice, their deaths were captured on camera. The bungee jumping centre routinely filmed customers’ jumps so they could keep them as keepsakes and cherish the memory of their experience.
At the time, Lorenzo Illuminati told state television: “I had actually closed when they called. They begged me to stay open so I waited for them. They jumped off together in each other’s arms and then this happened. It’s terrible.
The couple wanted to complete a tandem bungee jump but it led to their deaths (stock image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
“Just an hour earlier another couple jumped safely using the same elastic band and clips.”
Their deaths were reportedly the first fatalities to have taken place at the site.
Terni police spokesman, Lt Rovaldi Di Marco, said at the time: “At the moment the investigation is focusing on the safety harness that was being worn by the couple and the clips that secure it to the bridge.
“The cord was found intact and before the couple a man of 90kg jumped off the bridge.”
Di Marco added: “I understand that Alberto was a serving paratrooper with a regiment based in Siena and so had done this before but we think it was Tiziana’s first time at bungee jumping.
“The elastic cord did not break but we think the safety harness it was attached to came out of the bridge.”
The officer was questioned as to whether the cord had sufficient strength to support two people jumping simultaneously. He responded: “From what I know, it should have been able to cope with a combined weight of 2,000kg so, in theory, it should have been okay.
“However, that is one aspect we will be looking at as well as the safety clips that are harnessed into the structure of the bridge or maybe it was a human error – it is still too early to say.”
The site was closed off while officers conducted a comprehensive investigation into the deaths of the pair.