A woman was left battered and bruised after plunging into an open manhole hidden beneath a loose cover while walking to work.
Shocking CCTV footage shows Fabiana Rosa stepping off a ride-hailing motorbike before heading towards her workplace while looking at her phone.
But as she stepped onto what appeared to be a normal manhole cover, it suddenly flipped upright and sent her crashing several feet into the underground drainage system below.
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The cover then swung back into place, leaving the terrified cook trapped beneath the street.
Fortunately, the motorcyclist who had just dropped her off witnessed the accident and rushed to help.
The dramatic incident happened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at 7:41am on Sunday (31 May), as reported by Need To Know.
Fabiana was taken to hospital for treatment and was discharged the following day.
Recalling the terrifying ordeal, she told local media: “I thought I was going to die, because the water was up to my chest and the hole was so deep.
“I stepped on the edge of the hole, on the metal, and just went straight in. The cover flipped, hit my forehead, and I fell inside.
“The motorbike driver saw me falling. So he got off the bike and came over, because I was calling for help.
“The residents came, got a ladder from the bakery, and pulled me out.”
Fabiana said she has been left badly shaken and struggling with multiple injuries.
She added: “I’m in a lot of pain, sore all over – my forehead, arm, leg, backside, chest. I can’t get out of bed.
“I keep thinking that if it had been a child in my place, they would have died, because a child wouldn’t be able to stay there, with all that water and cables, and it’s so deep.”
Investigators believe the accident may have been caused by suspected thieves who had tampered with the manhole hours earlier.
CCTV footage recorded at 1.59am reportedly showed two men interfering with the cover.
Authorities believe they may have been attempting to steal copper cables from the drainage system.
The pair are understood to have left empty-handed, but one of the men allegedly put the cover back without securing it properly.
Officials also confirmed a second manhole cover had been removed nearby.
In a statement, the Tijuca Subprefecture said: “The equipment has already been put back in place, and the maintenance department has been called in to ensure it is properly secured and to guarantee road safety.”
Authorities have launched an investigation and are also examining whether a break-in at a nearby newsstand may have been linked to the same suspects.
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