The tragic final moments of a woman who slipped from her safety harness and plunged to her death in front of her grandchildren during a zipline ride over an Italian beauty spot have been revealed.
Ghizlane Moutahir, 41, died in May last year after she fell 60ft to the ground at the Fly Emotion park in Alpi Orobie at Bema, close to Lake Como, in Italy.
She was approaching the end of the mile-long, high-wire thrill when witnesses said she began to ‘struggle’ and then slipped out of her harness.
Her two grandchildren, who had just completed their flight on the zipline, watched as Moutahir took her turn on the 60mph ride.
Now nine months after the fatal tragedy, her heartbroken family has shared their last photo of Moutahir, a smiling selfie seemingly captured in the Bitto Valley.
The family has hired a lawyer and are seeking ‘justice’ in her death, alleging negligence on the behalf of Fly Emotion, local newspaper Corriere Milano reports.
Witnesses allege that she was not properly strapped into her harness and that there were no additional safety checks were conducted before the launch.
The heartbroken family of Ghizlane Moutahir, 41, has shared her last photo, a smiling selfie seemingly captured in the Bitto Valley
Moutahir died in May last year after she fell 60ft to the ground at the Fly Emotion park in Alpi Orobie at Bema, Italy. She was approaching the end of the mile-long, high-wire thrill when witnesses said she began to ‘struggle’ and then slipped out of her harness
Moutahir was travelling along the first section of the zipline route and had almost reached the arrival station when she fell.
Moutahir had ‘stopped’ just before arriving at the end of the zipline, ‘began to struggle’ and then her ‘feet slipped out’, a police spokesman said at the time. She remained suspended vertically for several seconds before falling.
Footage from Moutahir’s zipline ride has now revealed that the ‘leg straps’ on her harness ‘were not well positioned’, investigators in the Lombard city have determined.
They also noted that at some points during the ride, the harness straps were ‘absent or not visible’ at all.
Witnesses also said the 41-year-old appeared ‘confused and disoriented’ as she was being strapped in, alleging she did ‘not appear to understand the instructions’ and ‘had difficulty assuming a stable posture’.
The investigative report, signed by engineers Paolo Pennacchi and Marco Leati, determined ‘very serious shortcomings’ by Fly Emotion, citing ‘systematic irregularities’ and both technical and managerial violations.
The report accuses zipline owner Matteo Sanguineti, two employees responsible for putting on harnesses and the staffer who gave the green light for departure of negligence.
Fly Emotion, which connects the villages of Albaredo per San Marco and Bema, has been closed since Moutahir’s fatal fall.
The zipline stretches over a valley and starts at Albaredo at a height of 3000ft and then ends at Bema which is at 2400ft
The zipline suspends adventure-seekers over the Bito Valley between Albaredo and San Marco (pictured) and Bema using a harness suspended from a steel cable
Mayors Matteo Del Nero and Marco Sutti launched an appeal last June to get the popular tourist attraction up and running again, but the zipline remains suspended.
‘The survival of the entire valley is at risk,’ the pair said of the attraction, which has been a Bitto Valley staple since its inauguration in 2011.
‘We trust that the facts and any responsibilities will be ascertained to allow the resumption of the activity, which has brought, with over 220,000 flights – a significant share of the tourist presences recorded over the years.’
The zipline stretches over a valley and starts at Albaredo at a height of 3000ft and then ends at Bema which is at 2400ft.
The attraction gets top reviews on Trip Advisor and one contributor from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, wrote: ‘Absolutely brilliant. Great fun. If you are in the area, you have to try this! Don’t think about it – just fly.’
