Miracle escape for bungee jumper whose cord snapped plunging her into crocodile-infested water with tied feet... and she still managed to swim to shor

By STEWART MACLEAN

Erin can be seen preparing for her jump and is encouraged off the ledge by a worker

A tourist has miraculously survived following a fall into crocodile-infested waters after the cord snapped while she was bungee jumping in Zambia.
Australian backpacker Erin Langworthy fell into the Zambezi river following the terrifying mishap, which happened as she leapt from a bridge at Victoria Falls on the country's border with Zimbabwe.
The 22-year-old told how her feet were still tied together as she fell head first into the fast-flowing rapids beneath the world's largest waterfall.

She leaps from the bridge, arms outstretched, and is still safely attached to the cord

Miss Langworthy said she feared for her life but managed to survive after swimming to a nearby bank on the side of the river.
'I landed with my legs tied and then had to swim to the Zimbabwe side [of the river] through the rapids,' she told Australia's Channel Nine network.
'It was quite scary because a couple of times the rope actually got caught on some rocks or debris.

Erin plunges head first towards the water but is still attached to the rope

'I actually had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface.'
Ms Langworthy spend a week in hospital following the incident, which happened on New Year's Eve.
Officials have since launched an investigation into what caused the terrifying accident.

The cord snaps and half of it recoils back towards the ledge, right, while another piece can be seen heading for the water below

Chilling footage of the incident shows the young holidaymaker, from Perth, leaping from the bridge which crosses a gorge 111 metres above the water.
It shows how her bungee cord snapped as she reached the bottom of her descent, sending her flying down towards the water below.
According to reports it is believed she was around 20 metres above the Zambezi when the cord broke.
She hit the water and immediately fought to get herself towards the shore.

Erin is nowhere to be seen but part of the rope is seen floating in the rapids

The remnants of the rope float off. Erin managed to swim to the side of the riverbank where she was treated by paramedics

'It has been in operation for 10 years. This is the first time I am hearing of an incident. The probability of an incident is one in 500,000 jumps.'
The minister added that his office had launched a full investigation.
Every week hundreds of tourists pay around £80 ($120) for the thrill of jumping off a rail bridge which links the two countries.
The Zambia Post reported that the jump was operated by a private firm, Bungee Extreme, which confirmed it was looking into the incident.

source: dailymail