In a horrifying incident, a Chinese trapeze artist died after falling during an aerial silks performance in the city of Suzhou in central Anhui province. The gymnast plummeted 30 feet on to a hard surface after a routine went wrong with her acrobatic partner, who is also her husband, reported BBC.
Sun fell after her husband failed to catch her with his legs during a stunt. She was immediately rushed to a hospital after the accident by the people present there but all efforts by doctors to save her life failed and Sun succumbed to her injuries. She leaves behind two children, reported the media outlet, citing the state-run news website The Paper.
An investigation into the incident is underway said officials.
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Sun and her husband, whose surname is Zhang, had worked together for many years and had often performed without safety belts "for the sake of looking good", according to the news website The Paper.
The footage of the horrifying incident has gone viral in China with social media users acknowledging the risks involved in acrobatics. At the same time they have voiced their concerns about the industry's lack of safety measures, according to BBC.
Some of the users of Weibo have commented that they have seen similar performances take place in the country without a safety mat or net, and are calling for better regulation in the industry.
According to BBC, the performance troupe behind the accident hadn't taken proper permission from the local Culture and Tourism Department for the act for which the officials said they will be "dealt with accordingly".
Trapeze performance requires doing stunts at high altitudes and mostly relying on each other's strength for survival.