A Chinese female acrobat fell to her death last week after losing her grasp on her husband, as the pair were being hoisted into the air on a cable.
The tragic scene unfolded last Friday in China’s Anhui province. The group that put on the show has had a history of safety violations, according to Chinese state media. In the video, which has been widely seen on the internet but does not show the fatal moment of impact, the male acrobat appears to be holding his wife as the pair ascends. Then, in what appears to be part of the performance, the female acrobat changes positions and her husband loses his grip on her. (NSFW)
Chinese acrobat falls to death while performing with husband#ChineseAcrobatDeath #AcrobatSun #DroppedDown pic.twitter.com/qoMN5vWunq
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There was no safety net in place to catch the woman. The fallen performer was rushed to a nearby hospital, but ultimately died from her injuries.
“Local officials expressed deep condolence to the deceased and sympathy to her family, vowing a further investigation into the incident and to deal with the case according to laws and regulations based on the facts and identification of responsibilities,” according to the Global Times.
In fact, the Global Times reports that the host of the event even used the lack of safety precautions as a selling point for the performance.
The Chinese Acrobats Association issued a statement calling for more attention to safety.
“The association said more attention should be paid to comprehensive safety measures by practitioners of acrobatics, to place acrobats’ life and safety in the first place,” the statement read.
“Public information shows that the performance company was established in 2018 and was fined 50,000 yuan ($7,280) for holding a commercial performance without approval by the tourism authority in Bozhou, Anhui in March 2021,” the Global Times reported.
The couple has two children, according to the Global Times.