A woman has died and a man is seriously injured after a freak bungee jumping accident in northern France.

The 28-year-old died after leaping off the 200ft crane with the man, believed to be her boyfriend, before crashing to the ground due to a reported problem with the harness, local police in Audincthun told the Le Parisien newspaper.

Her boyfriend is currently hospital in the nearby city of Lille but the severity of his condition is currently unknown.

Police say the managers of the jump have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and the crane, which is a popular local tourist attraction, has been shut down while the incident is investigated, according to Sky News.

French prosecutor Sébastien Piève said: "Clearly there was a problem with the fixing of the couple to the rope.