Cirque du Soleil star plunges to death
during Florida show
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[March 19, 2018]
(Reuters) - An experienced Cirque du
Soleil performer has died after plunging onto a stage during an aerial
straps routine at a weekend show in Tampa, Florida, the company said on
Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday night when Yann Arnaud, 38, fell
during a performance of the show VOLTA, according to Cirque du Soleil
Entertainment Group. The French performance artist died of his injuries
at a nearby hospital.
Arnaud had been performing in Cirque shows for 15 years and was
considered one of the company's most experienced entertainers, president
and CEO Daniel Lamarre said in a telephone interview.
"We were very surprised, considering his experience, that something like
that happened," said Lamarre, speaking from Tampa, where he had flown to
be with the show's cast. "I cannot describe to you how the people feel.
It's terrible."
The death is the third fatality involving a Cirque performer in the
company's 34 years, said Lamarre, adding that the aerial strap act is
seen as a relatively safe number.
"It was awful. You heard all the cries of the audience. There were
children there and they were freaking out," spectator Julian Martinez,
who witnessed the accident, told local TV station WFLA.
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Lamarre said he could not share further details about the incident
involving Arnaud, a husband and father of two young children.
"We are offering our full and transparent collaboration to the
authorities as they look into the circumstances of this accident,"
the company said in a statement, adding the last two shows of Volta
planned for Tampa on Sunday have been canceled.
Local media reports said Arnaud appeared to lose his grip on a strap
and fell, bringing the show to an immediate halt. Tampa police said
the incident is under investigation by the U.S. Occupational Safety
and Health Administration.
(Reporting by Letitia Stein in Detroit; Additional rpeorting by Jon
Herskovitz in Austion, Texas; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra
Maler)
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