Circus acrobat falls to her death mid-performance
A 27-year-old acrobat plunged to her death in the middle of her circus performance for over 80 people, including children.
German media outlet BILD reported that the incident involving gymnast Marina Barcelo took place last weekend at the "Circus Paul Busch" in Bautzen.
She was "pulled under the circus dome on the trapeze and then fell from the swing from a height of about five meters" before she passed away, according to the publication. The crowd screamed while some parents covered their children's eyes. Some guests went straight to the circus tent in an attempt to save her life, but she ended up dying at the scene.
Authorities confirmed that she was not using a safety rope during her performance.
"We can't believe what happened," a circus employee is quoted as saying.
Ralf Huppertz, the CEO of the Association of German Circus Companies, told BILD that they're suspecting she was dealing with a health condition during the show. "It's unusual for a well-trained artist like Marina to not survive a fall from just five meters," he pointed out. "Perhaps she got dizzy on the trapeze."
An investigation on the matter is ongoing.
The circus is closed until further notice.
