A nurse and her husband were crushed by the rotating seats of an amphitheater in Wuhan, China, during a show dedicated to medical staff who battled COVID-19 in the initial epicenter of the pandemic.
The dramatic event, which the local government was slow to make public, took place around 9 p.m. on September 6 at the Han Show Theater in Wuhan’s Wuchang district, the Hong Kong newspaper reported. South China Morning Post.
A friend of the deceased couple told the popular Chinese social network Weibo that the woman, her husband and their 4-year-old son were invited to attend the tribute show called “City of Heroes.”
At the end of the show, the child slipped under one of the rotating seats, the particularity of which is to modulate its movements according to the special effects visible on stage.
It was while trying to save their boy that the parents were crushed by the rotating chairs.
The Han Show Theater is operated by Dragone, the cultural company created by Franco Dragone, contributor to numerous Cirque du Soleil shows.
Despite the event taking place on September 6, it was not until two weeks later that the Wuchang government confirmed reports that two people died during the show in honor of the medical staff.
According to the Hong Kong newspaper, the silence of the local government has sparked outrage among residents of Wuhan. “It’s ironic that our soldiers have returned victoriously from the front lines to die in the seats of the celebration,” one Weibo user said.
Han Show Theater general manager Deng Wei, as well as operations manager Deng Wulin were dismissed from their posts following the sad incident.
It wasn’t until Thursday evening (local time) that the Wuchang government posted on Weibo that rescue attempts at the scene had been swift and an investigation was already underway.
The amphitheater contains 2000 seats and 415 of them are rotating. On September 6 and 10, three shows entitled “City of Heroes” were scheduled, exclusively for medical personnel. Doctors and nurses could register with their identity card or medical license.