FATAL FALL

Circus Acrobat, 27, Plunges to Death In Front of Crowd

Police clarified that the circus performer opted not to use a safety rope for her solo act.

A 27-year-old circus acrobat died on Saturday evening after falling 16 foot from a trapeze swing. Spanish acrobat Marina Barcelona was performing a solo trapeze act with the Paul Busch Circus in Bautzen, Germany, when she suddenly fell. Almost 100 people of all ages were in attendance at the show, and received support when emergency services found that Barcelona had died of her injuries on impact. Local police described that the professional was not wearing a safety rope, with spokesman Stefan Heiduck explaining, “She doesn’t have to. She decides for herself whether to use safety rope.” Meanwhile, the head of Germany‘s circus association theorized that Barcelona may have encountered a health issue. Ralf Huppertz said, “It’s unusual for a well-trained artist like Marina to not survive a fall from just five meters. Perhaps she got dizzy on the trapeze.” Barcelona had been in circus arts for over a decade and joined Paul Busch for the upcoming season—but the troupe announced that its next slate of shows are canceled due to the bereavement.