Blindfolded Chinese tightrope walker slips and falls 650 feet (VIDEO)
NANJING, CHINA – MAY 22: Tight-rope walker Aisikaier from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region performs on several wires in Xuanwuhu Park on May 22, 2005 in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, east China. Aisikaier plans to live on the wire for 37 days. He will spend nights in a makeshift shelter attached to the thick wire in the air.
Popular Chinese acrobat Aisikaier Wubulikasimu is known for his risky stunts. In his most recent performance, he walked backwards on a tightrope 650 feet above a ravine, MSNBC reported. He didn't bother with a safety harness. Oh, and he was also wearing a blindfold. Making matters worse, he performed against strong wind.
It should be no surprise then that he slipped and fell near the end of his tightrope walk, the Daily Telegraph reported.
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Aisikaier had only 131 feet left of his planned 2,300-foot walk, the New York Daily News reported. He had been balancing along the rope for almost an hour.
He then lost his balance and fell–and the crowd gasped in horror. But Aisikaier survived the fall with only minor injuries, the Guardian reported. He had managed to survive because he fell closer to the end of the wire, where the slip was not as steep, the Daily News said.
He said later that he fell because the strong winds made him feel dizzy.
Watch a video of his fall and quick recovery below:
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