The death of a Chinese acrobat while performing on the aerial silks has shocked the world and sparked outrage on social media about the lack of safety precautions.
The woman, whose last name is Sun, was performing a mid-air performance with her husband on Saturday in a village close to Suzhou in central Anhui province when she collapsed onto the stage. The Tongqiao district government said in a statement on Monday that she was brought to a hospital but later passed away from her wounds.
Online video of the event showed the pair being lifted into the air above a sizable outdoor stage by a crane while the woman held on to her husband, whose arms were encircled by two pieces of fabric suspended from the crane.
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The woman hung from her husband during a transition act, wrapping her arms around his head as they swung in the air. The audience screamed as she lost control and fell to the hard stage. The video shows her spouse trying to grab her with his legs but failing.
Chinese social media was outraged by videos of the tragic event. They questioned why the woman was not wearing a safety belt. Others demanded tighter controls over the acrobatics sector and improved safety measures for performers.
A commenter on China's-Twitter-like Weibo platform said that such kind of mid-air acrobatic performance is really dangerous. The person advised acrobats to use a safety net underneath to protect against falling. He added that no matter how skilled the performers are, there will always be mistakes.
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