Woman Dies In Bungee Accident With Boyfriend

A woman has died and her boyfriend is seriously hurt after a tandem bungee jump that went wrong in the town of Audincthun, in northern France.

The 28-year-old died on Sunday after leaping off the 65m high (more than 200ft) crane and crashing to the ground from a drop of some 15m (49ft) because of a problem with the harness, a source told Le Parisien newspaper.

"During the jump ... there was a malfunction with the fastening system and both fell heavily to the ground," the source said, adding that the managers of the jump had been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

French prosecutor Sébastien Piève told the newspaper: "Clearly there was a problem with the fixing of the couple to the rope.

"We will see if it was caused by human error, or a problem with the equipment, or a combination of the two."

The woman has not been named. Her boyfriend, who was taken to hospital in Lille, remains in a critical condition.

The crane, which is a popular tourist attraction, has been shut down while the incident is investigated.