Cirque du Soleil aerialist falls to his death
A Cirque du Soleil artist performs on the Russian Bars, Singapore, October 2015. Image: Roslan Rahman
An aerialist fell to his death while performing in a Cirque du Soleil show in Tampa, Florida, the Montreal-based company said Sunday.
Yann Arnaud was suspended by straps above the stage during a performance of its VOLTA show on Saturday night when he fell, according to a statement.
He was rushed to a hospital but died of his injuries.
“The entire Cirque du Soleil family is in shock and devastated by this tragedy. Yann had been with us for over 15 years and was loved by all who had the chance to know him,” the company’s president Daniel Lamarre said.
Two remaining shows scheduled for Tampa were cancelled after the accident.
The statement added: “We are offering our full and transparent collaboration to the authorities as they look into the circumstances of this accident.”
In 2013, French acrobat Sarah Guillot-Guyard died after plunging from a high-wire in front of a horrified crowd at a Las Vegas show.
The 31-year-old mother-of-two fell from a height of around 50 feet (15 meters) as she was being hoisted up toward the roof of the stage on a wire for a battle scene in the show.
In 2009, Ukrainian acrobat Olexandre Jourov, 24, died from a fall during a rehearsal in Montreal. CC
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