Cirque du Soleil acrobat falls to death during Las Vegas show

A 31-year-old acrobat with Cirque du Soleil fell to her death during performances of “Ka” in Las Vegas over the weekend.

Sarah Guyard-Guillot was pronounced dead after a 50-foot fall during a live performance, BBC reported. She was a mother of two and was born in Paris.

A witness, Dan Mosqueda, said the performer was being lifted on the side of the stage, and she slipped out of her safety wire.

“Initially, a lot of people in the audience though it was part of the [show],” he said in a BBC report. “But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage,”

The show was stopped, and audience members were offered refunds. It’s believed to be the first fatality during a live performance in the show’s history, which has spanned about 30 years.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte said performances of “Ka” have been canceled until further notice, The Associated Press reported.

“I am heartbroken. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family. We are all completely devastated,” Mr. Laliberte said in the AP report. “We are reminded with great humility and respect how extraordinary our artists are each and every night. Our focus now is to support each other as a family.”