A female acrobat performing a high-risk performance at a high altitude reportedly fell to her death during the performance in China.
She was reportedly not wearing any safety equipment at the time and fell from a height of about 10 metres during the performance and suffered fatal injuries that led to her death.
The local authorities have since launched an investigation into her death.
163.com reported that the incident took place on 15 April in the Anhui Province in China and that the 37-year-old acrobat was performing a high-altitude stunt with her acrobat partner, who was also her husband.
According to Gnewswire, the two performers were hoisted into the air by a crane, and the deceased was believed to have lost her grip on the hoop that she was holding on to and ended up falling 10 metres to the ground.
The show’s host then urged the horrified audience members to make way for an ambulance to get to the stricken woman, with a rescue team trying to maintain order in the immediate vicinity before transporting the woman into the ambulance and conveying her to the hospital.
She ultimately succumbed to her fatal injuries and died despite the doctor’s efforts to save her.
The Epoch Times reported that a local government official had revealed that the performers were now wearing any form of safety equipment when the incident happened, with harnesses and other essential safety equipment missing.
A safety mat was also notably not deployed on the ground of the performance area, and an investigation involving several governmental agencies has since been launched.
The performance troupe has since cancelled their 2-day acrobatic performance, which was originally scheduled to be held over the weekend.
8world News also reported that according to reports from China, the woman’s husband said that they were quarrelling at the time and in the aftermath of their fight, decided to forego the safety harness.
However, a video that has been circulating in Chinese social media showed that the host claimed that the safety harnesses were left out of the performance because they had wanted to put on a performance that was “authentic”.
Images source: 澎湃新闻 and 网易新闻