Monkey Business/Thinkstock(SARASOTA, Fla.) — Five circus performers are injured after falling from an eight-person pyramid in a high-wire accident at a Florida circus, an official said.
The extent of the injuries and what led to the accident were not immediately clear.
The performers were approximately 20 to 25 feet above the ground, a circus official said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The eight-person pyramid was something special they had been rehearsing, the official said, adding that the performers executed it “flawlessly” on Tuesday.
“Our hearts go out to the families,” the official said.
The team at Circus Sarasota was rehearsing for a show that is set to open Feb. 10.
The official said “circus people are resilient,” adding, “the show must go on.”
Famous high-wire artist Nik Wallenda was one of the performers involved in the eight-person pyramid but he was not injured, his manager, Winston Simone, said.
“He is currently at the hospital with others who have sustained injuries,” Simone said. “He says he expects everybody involved to be fine.”
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