Minister's leap of faith
- 12 years ago
ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION.
PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Zambia's tourism minister puts his faith in a bungee cord to leap from Victoria Falls Bridge.
The stunt is intended to reassure tourists the sport is safe after an Australian woman's bungee cord snapped during a jump on New Year's Eve.
Erin Langworthy survived with only cuts and bruises after the drama in which she plunged 111 metres (364 feet) into the crocodile-infested waters of the Zambesi River below.
Tourism Minister Given Lubinda says he's confident it was a one-off incident.
"I came to prove that this is a very safe sport. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't sure. I have done it because I'm confident it is safe. I didn't want to use any other person as a guinea pig. I decided that the world must use me as a guinea pig and if I wanted to risk my life that means that it is safe. Let everybody come and jump," he said.
Lubinda was earlier quoted in a report on the Lusakatimes.com website that the chances of an incident while bungee jumping worked out at one in half a million.
PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Zambia's tourism minister puts his faith in a bungee cord to leap from Victoria Falls Bridge.
The stunt is intended to reassure tourists the sport is safe after an Australian woman's bungee cord snapped during a jump on New Year's Eve.
Erin Langworthy survived with only cuts and bruises after the drama in which she plunged 111 metres (364 feet) into the crocodile-infested waters of the Zambesi River below.
Tourism Minister Given Lubinda says he's confident it was a one-off incident.
"I came to prove that this is a very safe sport. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't sure. I have done it because I'm confident it is safe. I didn't want to use any other person as a guinea pig. I decided that the world must use me as a guinea pig and if I wanted to risk my life that means that it is safe. Let everybody come and jump," he said.
Lubinda was earlier quoted in a report on the Lusakatimes.com website that the chances of an incident while bungee jumping worked out at one in half a million.