Three acrobats of Ringling Bros. circus remain in critical condition in hospital after a group of “hairilists” fell from an aerial platform at a show in Rhode Island on Sunday.
Eight acrobats plummeted up to 40ft when the scaffolding structure holding them collapsed.
The performers, from the US, Brazil, Bulgaria and Ukraine, were in the middle of a hair-hanging high-wire act.
Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the accident.
The collapse occurred during an act in which the eight performers hanged from their hair like a human chandelier (photo AP/Frank Caprio)
Acrobats Dayana Costa, Julissa Segrera and Stefany Neves remain in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, a spokeswoman told the Associated Press news agency.
Viktoriya Medeiros and Viktorila Liakhova have been listed in serious condition, while performers Samantha Pitard, Svitlana Balanicheva and Widny Nevas are now considered in good condition.
The names and conditions of three other people hurt were not released.
“The injuries fortunately don’t appear to be life-threatening,” Nicole Feld, executive vice-president of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey parent company Feld Entertainment, told a local television station.
“A lot of them were awake, talking, communicating with us.”
The collapse occurred during an act in which the eight performers hanged from their hair “like a human chandelier”, according to the circus.
According to the circus website, the eight performers, known as “hairialists”, feature in a “larger-than-life act… spinning, hanging from hoops, and rolling down wrapped silks all while being suspended 35ft in the air by their hair alone”.
The metal frame from which the acrobats hung is said to have come free from a metal truss, a circus spokesman told US media.
Further performances were cancelled on Sunday and Monday as the circus worked with federal and local officials.
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Nine acrobats of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus have been seriously injured after falling from an aerial platform during a show in Rhode Island.
Nine acrobats of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus have been seriously injured after falling from an aerial platform during a show in Rhode Island
Eight female acrobats fell from a height of up to 40ft after scaffolding collapsed. One dancer on the ground was hurt.
A circus spokesman said the performers were in the middle of a hair-hanging and motorbike high-wire act.
Officials say they have launched an investigation into the accident.
The accident occurred on Sunday morning during the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus show in Providence.
Reports suggest as many as 20 people may have been injured in the incident, but only nine of them were in serious condition.
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Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic beach of North Carolina and one man was killed outside his home this morning.
The man was hit by a tree limb that blew down while he was walking around his house this morning in a rural area of Nash County, where winds were roaring at more than 60 mph, county Emergency Management Director Brian Brantley told the Associated Press.
Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head, North Carolina.
Hurricane Irene hit Atlantic Beach, Cape Fear and the Outer Banks of North Carolina with Category 1 winds and rain and made landfall in Nags Head
The center of hurricane hit the coast of North Carolina near Cape Lookout with Category 1-force winds of 85 mph.
Hurricane warnings for the next 48 hours have been issued for North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, coastal Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Until now, eastern North Carolina has already seen three tornadoes in the past few days, and the majority of the state and areas of Maryland and Virginia are under tornado watches through Sunday.
Stacy town, on the coast of North Carolina, is seeing 93 mph wind gusts this morning.
The far end of the fishing pier in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina collapsed overnight.
The 100-foot long pier is still standing, but its end has disappeared into the ocean.
About 200,000 homes in North Carolina are experiencing power outages, according to Power Energy.
Winds up to 85 mph have ripped power lines from their poles, causing many of the shortages.
“Our crews are restoring service as quickly as possible, where it is safe to do so,” Power Energy tweeted.
The hardest hit areas were Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
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