On a warm Saturday evening in a village near the city of Suzhou in central Anhui province, a crowd had gathered to watch a mid-air routine by a couple of acrobats. The duo, surnamed Sun, were performing on aerial silks, with their bodies suspended in the air by a crane.
The woman, wearing a pink leotard, and her husband were seen swinging in mid-air. The audience cheered as they watched the couple’s mesmerizing performance. The woman, a mother of two, wrapped her arms around her husband’s head, hanging off him during a transition act.
But then, something went wrong. She lost her grip, and the audience’s cheers turned into screams. The woman plunged to the hard stage, with her husband trying to catch her with his legs, but failing.
The horrific incident was captured on video, and it quickly went viral on social media. Many users were shocked and saddened by the tragedy, while others were outraged at the lack of safety measures in place during the performance.
Questions were raised as to why the woman was not wearing a safety belt, and why there was no safety net or crash mat on the ground. Many called for stricter regulations on the acrobatic industry and better protection for performers.
An investigation by authorities ruled the tragedy was an accident. The show was hosted by a local farm business owner, who had contracted the Anhui Yaxi Performing Arts Media Company to run the performance.
The investigation found that the company had failed to obtain approval from authorities prior to the show and had not provided essential safety protection and emergency measures during the performance. The use of a crane in the performance was also a violation of regulations.
The company has reached an agreement on compensation with the family of the acrobat and will be punished according to regulations, the statement said.
China’s Acrobats Association said in a statement Sunday it was “devastated and shocked by the tragedy” and called for acrobatic groups and performers to pay greater attention to safety measures.
The female acrobat had been married to her husband for more than a decade and left behind two children. Her death is a tragic reminder of the risks involved in acrobatics and the need for strict safety measures to be put in place to protect performers.