BEIJING: A Chinese woman acrobat died after falling during an aerial silk performance, causing shock and outrage on social media about the lack of safety precautions.
The woman, Sun, fell to the ground while performing a mid-air performance with her husband on Saturday in a village near Suzhou in central Anhui province. She was rushed to the hospital but died due to her injuries, according to a statement issued by the Tongqiao district government on Monday.
A crane lifted the couple high into the air above a large outdoor stage, with the woman holding her husband’s arms wrapped around two pieces of fabric hanging from the crane.
The victim woman wrapped her arms around her husband’s head and clung to him as they swung mid-air during a transition performance. But she lost her grip and fell to the hard stage, to the surprise of the spectators.
According to the footage, her husband failed to catch her with his legs.
Videos of the horrifying incident went viral on Chinese social media.
Many people had no idea why the woman was not wearing a safety belt and why there was no safety net or a crash mat on the ground. Others called for strict acrobatic industry laws and improved protection for performers.
According to the Tongqiao government, an inquiry by officials determined that the incident was an accident. According to the statement, the show was presented by a local farm business owner who hired the Anhui Yaxi Performing Arts Media Company to put on the show.
According to the investigation, the company failed to acquire consent from authorities prior to the performance and failed to offer essential safety protection and emergency measures during the performance.
According to the statement, using a crane in the performance was also illegal.
According to the statement, the company has reached an agreement on compensation with the acrobat’s family and will be punished in accordance with the law.
The China Acrobats Association said in a statement that it was “devastated and shocked by the tragedy.” It urged acrobatic groups and artists to pay more attention to safety precautions.
According to The Paper, a state-run news website, a host boasted to the audience during the event that in order to make the performance look “real,” the performers were not equipped with any safety measures.
According to the article, the female acrobat had been married to her husband for over a decade and had two children.
