At least nine Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus performers were seriously injured after a “human chandelier” stunt went wrong on Sunday in Providence, Rhode Island.
The stunt involved eight women forming a human chandelier hanging only by their hair. The performers abruptly crashed at least 25 feet to the ground landing on a dancer below them. Others that were involved suffered less serious injuries.
“Clearly something went very wrong with this apparatus,” said Stephen Payne, a spokesman for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. “The safety of our performers is the No. 1 priority.”
None of the injuries appear to be life threatening, however, many of the injured people suffered broken bones.
“Everybody’s doing fine, everybody’s at the hospital, everybody’s conscious, everybody’s doing pretty well,” said Roman Garcia, general manager of the Legends show, two hours after the accident.
A YouTube video was posted by an audience member that shows a ring of acrobats suspended in the air after the curtain drops. Mere seconds later, the performers are seen plummeting to the ground as audience members watched and questioned if this was supposed to happen. Circus workers can be seen immediately responding to the center of the arena to assist the performers as the lights dimmed.
“Their necks went forward—it was awful,” an audience member said, according to ABC News. “They kept the lights off so no children could see. When the lights went on, we could see them lying there. They started lowering the screens to cover it up.”
The show at Dunkin’ Donuts Center was canceled after the accident, as was a later show scheduled for 3 p.m.
