MY: Bungee jumps stopped after mishap

[Sooraj Nair]

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The Star Online, http://thestar.com.my/
Copyright The Star Publications
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POSTED WITH PERMISSION
June 7, 1997

> By Susan Varghese
>
> PETALING JAYA: The Benson & Hedges bungee-jumping event at the Sunway
> Lagoon has been stopped following a freak accident which almost caused
> the death of a 19-year-old college student on Wednesday.
>
> Ajit Singh was doing fine and his doctors said that he would be
> released from Assunta Hospital in a couple of days, public relations
> firm Rantau PR said in a statement yesterday.
>
> In a normal bungee-jump, a cushion is wrapped around the jumper's
> ankles and the bungee cord is then bound around both ankles.
>
> However, when Ajit Singh leapt off the 45m-high platform, the cord
> slipped off his ankles and he plunged into three-metre-deep water.
>
> Although Ajit Singh could swim, he was in shock and had to be rescued
> by a lifeguard and a member of the bungee-jumping operators' crew who
> was on standby for emergencies.
>
> The well-publicised event was organised by Benson & Hedges, in
> conjunction with the Benson & Hedges Golden Dreams Extreme TV series.
>
> Rantau PR said the operator, Bungee Downunder, had "reviewed all its
> processes for future operations to counter this incident's
> recurrence."
>
> It said it was confident that it could restart today but that the
> Sunway Lagoon management preferred to "cease operations."
>
> The event had been scheduled to run until Aug 8.
>
> "We sincerely regret the incident and wish the injured man a speedy
> recovery," Rantau PR added.
>
> The Subang Jaya Municipal Council, when contacted, did not know about
> the incident but said it had no authority over what goes on at Sunway
> Lagoon since it was private property and that Sunway Lagoon had to
> take full responsibility.
>
> Even the police, when contacted, had no knowledge of the event.
>