Cirque du Soleil acrobat falls to her death during performance in Las Vegas

A Cirque du Soleil’s performer has plunged to her death during a show in Las Vegas.

Paris-born Sarah Guyard-Guillot died after falling about 50 feet from the show’s stage at the MGM Grand.

She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Witnesses said the accident occurred near the end of the production KA at the hotel on the Las Vegas strip.

Visitor Dan Mosqueda of Colorado Springs said the 31-year-old acrobat was being hoisted up the side of the stage when it appeared she slipped free of her safety wire and plummeted to an open pit below the stage.

“Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the (show),” he told the Sun. “But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.”

The show momentarily continued, then stopped. Minutes after the accident, a recorded announcement informed audience members that refunds or vouchers to future shows would be offered, and the crowd was dismissed.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte issued a statement yesterday praising Ms Guyard-Guillot and saying performances of KA have been cancelled until further notice.

Ms Guyard-Guillot, a mother of two children, had been with the original cast of KA since 2006, and had been an acrobatic performer for over 20 years.

“I am heartbroken. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family. We are all completely devastated,” Mr Laliberte said.

“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.”

Cirque officials are working with authorities investigating the accident and have offered their full cooperation, he added.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office will rule on the cause of death.

The MGM Grand also issued a statement concerning the accident.

“Our company is deeply saddened by the loss of one of the talented KA artists Saturday night,” it reads. “The thoughts and prayers of our employees are with the performer’s family, the cast of KA, and the entire Cirque family during this difficult time.”