Disturbing video: Chinese acrobat falls to death during live performance

A Chinese acrobat has fallen to her death during an aerial silks performance with her husband in Anhui province.

The woman, surnamed Sun, fell to the stage while performing a mid-air routine on Saturday with her husband in a village near the city of Suzhou.

She was taken to hospital but died of her injuries.

In a viral video of the incident, Zhang can be seen holding onto the ropes with both hands as Sun clings onto him. As they get higher, Sun appears to lose her grip and Zhang fails to catch Sun with his legs.

Warning: The following video contains content that may be disturbing to some viewers

A lot of discussions on Chinese socials today about the fatal accident that happened last night in Suzhou during a live acrobatic show. The female performer did not wear safety lines and she fell. She was rushed to hospital but passed away. (video end cut due to shocking content) pic.twitter.com/l5DCf0ilN1

— Manya Koetse (@manyapan) April 16, 2023

Online footage of the incident showed the couple being pulled high into the air by a crane above a large outdoor stage.

According to witnesses, there were no safety lines or measures, including landing pads, in place.

Sun and Zhang had reportedly been working together for many years and often performed stunts without safety belts.

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.