A romantic stop at a scenic cliff in southeastern Brazil turned fatal for a couple when their parked car plunged nearly 1,300 feet into a ravine during an intimate moment, killing both instantly, local authorities said. The victims have been identified as Adriana Machado Ribeiro, 42, and her boyfriend Marcone da Silva Cardoso, 26. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, Aug. 4, in the small city of Venda Nova do Imigrante, located in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. Peers and family members said the couple had a “healthy relationship” and never saw them fight or have violent altercations. Marcone, a machine operator, dated Adriana for about six months. Adriana, a bakery worker at her mother’s business, has a son and a daughter. Marcone had a 4-year-old son.
As reported by CNN Brazil, the pair had just left a party and had pulled over at a prominent scenic overlook that serves as a hang-gliding launch point. Police believe that movement inside the vehicle during sexual activity caused it to shift and roll forward, eventually tumbling over the cliff edge. “The car went down a hang-gliding slope. There was no violence on the bodies or at the scene, and the handbrake of the car was on,” police officer Alberto Roque Peres explained to CNN Brazil. Authorities estimate the couple’s car plunged about 1 a.m. local time. The couple was thrown about 100 meters (328 feet) in mid-air before the crushed car traveled another 300 meters (984 feet) into a field below.
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Local residents reported hearing a loud crash between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m., but due to thick forest and darkness, the wreck was not immediately spotted. Police have ruled out foul play at this stage, saying there is no evidence of other individuals being involved. Peres assured The Sun that the couple had been driving on damp ground prior to the fall, which might have caused the accident. Police are waiting for forensic reports.