Chinese acrobat falls to her death during show with husband

Warning: This story contains a disturbing video of the incident.

An acrobat in China fell to her death while performing a routine mid-air with her husband.

In a video that's been circulating on social media, the sudden mishap occurred when the couple, Sun Moumou and Zhang Moumou, both aged 37, were executing their routine in front of an audience in the central Anhui province village of Hougao.

In the middle of their set, the couple can be seen being pulled high into the air by a crane, with Sun holding onto her husband by locking her hands behind his head while she stood on top of his feet.

As they ascended higher, however, Sun's legs began to dangle in the air as their routine took a wrong turn. 

Before her husband could steady her, she ultimately lost her grip, and audience members could only scream in terror as they watch her plummet 30 feet to the ground.

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

Sun did not immediately die from the fall, as one of her colleagues told reporters that she was "still breathing weakly" after the incident. When she arrived at the hospital, however, doctors pronounced her dead due to her injuries.

Chinese authorities are now investigating the cause of the incident. Local reports alleged the couple had been arguing with each other before the performance because Sun refused to wear a safety line for the show, which some witnesses apparently observed.

The Paper, a state-run news website, also reported that performers were not equipped with any safety measures in order to make their routine look "real."

Zhou, however, denied the accusations in an interview withYangzi Evening News, "We were always happy together. There was no fight. 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."

Because of the incident, the company running the show had been fined over $7,000 (P390,000) for "holding commercial performances without approval."