Homemade bungee jump ends in tragedy as woman, 21, plunges 50ft into rocks to her death in German quarry

Published: 10:01 BST, 12 October 2026 | Updated: 10:01 BST, 12 October 2026

A young woman has died after she plunged 50ft and hit a rock face in Germany after her homemade bungee jumping device failed. 

Paramedics rushed to the scene after the 21-year-old fell from a former quarry in Warstein, North Rhine-Westphalia, at around 5.15pm on Saturday.

Despite resuscitation attempts she died at the scene of what police initially assumed was a 'tragic' climbing accident and there is no evidence of foul play. 

According to local reports, the young woman, from Aschersleben, was with four or five other climbers when they scaled the quarry on Saturday. 

Police had initially said the 21-year-old fell while climbing up the quarry however a spokesman later clarified that she died after jumping off the clifftop.  

The woman plummeted 50ft before she hit a rock face after using a homemade device which failed.

Pictured: The rock face in the Hillenberg climbing area, a former quarry, from which a 21-year-old female climber fell 15 meters on Saturday

Police described the device as a highline, which is a double rope stretched from one rock face to another across a clearing and is usually secured with special anchor points. 

The homemade bungee cord is understood to have been attached to the highline.  

Police spokesman Daniel Grossert told WDR: 'According to current findings, there is no indication of foul play. We are currently classifying this as a tragic accident.'

He later said: 'She didn't fall into the depths, but hit a rock face during the jump.' 

Police also said a 34-year-old man had landed safely after jumping before the 21-year-old woman. 

The rest of the group were unharmed but required counselling from fire department chaplains following the incident. 

It has been reported that they only know each other casually and occasionally go on climbing trips together.