A Wuhan nurse and her husband have died in a tragic accident while watching a performance dedicated to coronavirus health workers at a local theatre.
The unnamed medic and her partner were trapped between rotating chairs after trying to rescue their son who slipped under the seat, according to reports.
The boy was said to have survived after falling onto a safety net underneath, but his parents were crushed to death.
A Wuhan nurse and her husband have died in a tragic accident while watching a performance dedicated to coronavirus health workers at a local theatre (pictured in handout)
The unnamed medic and her partner were trapped between rotating chairs after trying to rescue their son who slipped under the seat, according to reports. The picture released by the Wuhan theatre shows the venue where the nurse and her husband were killed in an accident
The nurse reportedly worked at Wuhan Tongji Hospital and fought on the frontline against the coronavirus outbreak in the former COVID-19 epicentre. In this file photo, a medical worker is treating a coronavirus patient at the Union Hospital affiliated to Wuhan Tongji Medical College
The nurse reportedly worked at Wuhan Tongji Hospital and fought on the frontline against the coronavirus outbreak in the former COVID-19 epicentre.
The couple’s deaths also sparked outrage online after Wuhan authorities confirmed the incident on Thursday, 12 days after it occurred on September 6.
The officials did not specify details of the accident, claiming they had carried out emergency rescue and ‘properly handled the aftermath of the incident’.
The tragedy was first brought to light by a social media user, who claimed to be a family friend of the victims, in a post on Twitter-like Weibo.
The nurse and her husband took their four-year-old son to watch a performance celebrating coronavirus health workers at the Han Show Theatre in Wuhan on the evening of September 6, the post claimed.
The modern venue with a water-surrounding stage can host up to 2,000 viewers with modified chairs that can rotate and elevate, according to its website.
The nurse and her husband took their four-year-old son to watch a performance celebrating coronavirus health workers at the Han Show Theatre in Wuhan September 6
The tragedy was first brought to light by a social media user, who claimed to be a family friend of the victims, in a post on Twitter-like Weibo. A medical worker wearing a face mask looks on at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China's central Hubei province on September 3
Chinese President Xi Jinping awards medal to traditional Chinese medicine expert Zhang Boli during a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing
Some of the seats move like a fan opening and closing to give the audience the best view of onstage effects, a staff member told The Beijing News.
Before the show was about to end, the boy fell under the rotating seat as he stood up preparing to leave.
The parents tried to catch their son before they were both caught between the moving chairs and crushed to death, the web user said.
The boy suffered some injuries while the nurse and her husband were pronounced dead after they were rushed to a hospital.
The post is believed to have been published on September 8 when Beijing held a special event during which President Xi honoured the 'heroes' of China's 'people's war' against COVID-19.
It wrote: ‘Today is the national honouring assembly, but this incident has yet to be seen on the news.’
Chinese President Xi Jinping is pictured standing with Chinese medical expert Zhong Nanshan (pictured left) after awarding him a medal at an event to honour some of those involved in China's fight against COVID-19 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 8
Wuhan officials said they were still investigating the causes of the incident while the theatre had reached a compensation agreement with the family.
The company Wanda Group has fired two of its employees since the accident, it said on Friday.
Angered by the government’s late and vague announcement, web users called for a thorough investigation by the authorities.
One commenter wrote: ‘This is really quite ironic. Our fighters returned safely from the frontline and they were crushed to death between seats during the celebration.’
Another said: ‘I wanted to find out why the accident happened, but now I’m more concerned about how it was only reported after so many days? What was the media doing? Even after the pandemic they still couldn’t stop covering up. Disappointed.’
A third person replied: ‘Who would have thought that a child would become an orphan after watching a performance? High-tech things are good, but safety issues must be carefully considered.’
