At least 11 people were injured on Sunday, some of them seriously, when a platform suffered a mechanical failure mid-show during a presentation of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus in Providence, Rhode Island, reported local media.
The nine circus artists, holding onto each other by their hair, were held in the air thanks to a device; however, the mechanism failed, causing the artists, a team comprised exclusively by women, to fall from a height of 8 meters approximately, reported news agency Reuters.
After the accident, which was witnessed by close to 3,900 people, among them small children, circus spokesmen informed that eight acrobats are still in the hospital, one of them in delicate health, although authorities of the Rhode Island hospital where they are receiving attention reported that none of the injuries put the lives of the artists at risk.
"The injuries were serious in some of the artists, but none of them seem to be potentially deadly at this time," said circus spokesman Stephen Payne, in an email Reuters had access to.
According to CNN, at least two other people were injured during the incident on Saturday; however, their identities have not been revealed.
Witnesses watching the performance of the "Legends" acrobatics show of the Ringling Bros circus told CNN that the acrobats seemed to be on some sort of aerial scaffolding when one of the cables broke.
"Every time were arrive at a new venue, all of the equipment used by these acrobats is inspected carefully. We take the health and safety of our artists and guests very seriously, and our company has a safety department which spends countless hours making sure all of our equipment is safe and effective for continued use," said Payne in the email sent to the media.
Local and circus authorities have started an investigation to determine the causes of the accident.
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