Bungee jumping instructors removed the GoPro camera from the body of a woman they threw off a 130ft bridge without any safety rope, a witness has claimed.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, was seen in disturbing footage circulating online being hurled from the abandoned Skeleton Bridge in Limeira, São Paulo, on Saturday and falling to her death. 

The aspiring physical education teacher had asked to be launched 130ft from the bridge 'aeroplane style', with two instructors hoisting her above their shoulders as she spread out her arms.

However, a witness has now claimed that they saw one of the employees involved in Maria's jump remove the action camera before she was thrown, with the equipment still not recovered by police.

Rafael Goulard, who was waiting in line for his turn at the rope jump, told local news outlet EPTV: 'The first scene I remember was seeing one of the employees removing the GoPro camera from the neck of the body that was already on the ground. 

'Was he worried about the equipment, about hiding evidence, or worried about its financial value?'

According to the police report, the victim was using an action camera to film the experience, as she was seen wearing the GoPro in footage prior to the jump.

However, when quizzed by cops on the camera's location, the employees claimed they did not know where it was. Searches were conducted in the surrounding area, but the equipment was not located.

Goulard told the outlet that he saw employees collecting equipment and taking it to a car following the accident, while also claiming he saw some of them changing their clothes.

He said he reported the activity to a police officer, who then ordered all team members to remain in the area. 

Following the tragic incident, Goulard said that the employees who carried and threw Maria off the bridge did not provide an explanation to the remaining customers and seemed disoriented.

'They were in a catatonic state. I don't know if they didn't understand what they had done or were simply worried about hiding or escaping,' he said. 

Brazil's military police told local media that two men fled from the scene shortly after the realisation of what had happened dawned on the group. 

The São Paulo Public Security Secretariat then confirmed that six people were taken in for questioning.

Three men were arrested for homicide with eventual intent following the tragic death.

However, they have claimed there was a 'blackout' during set-up, and they 'can't remember' where or when the failure in attaching the rope occurred or who should have put them on.

The trio remanded in custody after appearing before a judge have been named locally as Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, and Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27.

Luis Felipe, who says he earned just £26.50 per jump, told police after his arrest that team members didn't have set responsibilities during the jumps and equipment checks were carried out 'jointly.'

Quizzed on who was responsible for the final safety checks for Maria Eduarda's jump, he told police: 'I can't remember.' Maicon Fernandes Cintra reportedly gave cops the same answer.

The young woman was seen in the horrific footage of the incident, kitted out in a helmet and harness, but a long pile of rope could be seen unattached on the floor beside instructors from the company 'Entre Cordas e Ih Voei'. 

At the time of the incident, Maria had been donning a safety helmet and body harness, which would have featured locking carabiners in the waist area for the heavy-duty climbing rope that should have been attached before she was launched. 

Three men in white helmets lifted her, one holding her legs and the other her torso, before they walked to the edge of a short platform and threw her over.

In a recording of the deadly incident, bystanders can be heard frantically yelling out, 'the rope, people, the rope', as she was released from the grip of the employees.

Their lawyer, Rafael Gomes dos Santos, claimed overnight: 'They are in a state of shock. They cannot explain what happened because they have been doing this for years.

'Nothing like this has ever happened.'

Just hours before the tragedy, Maria shared a series of social media posts expressing her excitement and nervousness ahead of the jump.

In one of the Instagram stories, posted at around 7.30am, the woman showed the bridge and the grassland below, along with the caption: 'Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?'

Another chilling post captured a road sign with a depiction of a skeleton that read: 'Danger. Risk of death'.

In a third story, Maria showed off her paper wristbands, which branded messages: 'Welcome aboard the ropes!', 'I'm going to fly', and 'take off authorised'.

Overnight, Maria's devastated mother spoke out for the first time since the incident.

In a post on social media, she said: 'That damned rope took you away from me forever. My beloved daughter, you are gone, and all that remains here is pain and longing. I will love you forever.'

Limeira Town Hall said it would be taking legal action against the Brazilian government for failing to monitor and regulate access to the old railway bridge.