Sun Moumou Chinese trapeze artist falls 30ft to her death after failing to wear safety belt during performance in Suzhou City. Riskier stunts paid acrobat performers more.
Online footage has showed the moment a Chinese trapeze artist fell to her death during a performance in Suzhou City over the weekend, upon her acrobat husband dropping her.
Sun Moumou, 37, fell hard on the stage when her husband failed to catch her with his legs as the couple performed a risky change of position in mid-air.
Sun fell from more than 32ft above the ground, according to local news reports.
She is said to have been taken to hospital but doctors were unable to save her life.
Her husband said: ‘We were always happy together. Adding, ‘As I am in the middle of the process of dealing with all of this, I can’t disclose any specific details at this time.’
Performed without safety belt for the sake of looking good
In the video clip, spectators can be heard screaming as Sun loses her grip.
A colleague said she was still breathing ‘weakly’ following the tragic fall.
The performance was cancelled immediately as were planned shows over the weekend.
Anhui Yaxi Performing Art Media has been fined around $7K USD for ‘holding commercial performances without approval’, according to The Global Times.
It was later revealed the couple performing the dangerous acrobatic trick without Sun wearing a safety belt.
According to The Paper, Sun and her husband, had worked together for many years and had often performed without safety belts ‘for the sake of looking good’.
Authorities have since launched an investigation into how Sun performed without the proper safety precautions.
Riskier stunts paid acrobat performers more.
Some on the Weibo social network 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.
Zhang Moumou told local news that Sun had not ‘refused’ to wear a safety line, as reported.
There has also been significant debate in the media over who is to blame.
The BBC cited local Culture and Tourism Department says that the performance troupe behind the act had not gained sufficient approval to carry out the act in the first place, and that they would be “dealt with accordingly”.
The Paper shared archive footage of the couple, who are often seen performing stunts at high altitudes and simply relying on each other’s strength for survival.
It says that the decision not to use safety belts spanned from working in a ‘highly competitive’ industry, with them earning ‘relatively more money’ by performing riskier acts.
Reports say the performance took place at a local family farm in Hougao, a village in Suzhou, located in the northern part of Anhui Province.
Local officials have expressed their ‘deep condolences’ and sympathy to the victim’s family.
The couple, who were both born in 1986, are said to have had a son and a daughter together.
