A performer at Moscow’s famous Bolshoi Theatre was crushed to death by a falling prop on stage.
Yevgeny Kulesh, 37, was killed by the piece of scenery as it was lowered for a set change.
Witnesses said the actor appeared to exit the stage on the wrong side during the performance of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera ‘Sadko’ on Saturday night.
Footage reportedly shows distraught performers begging staff to lift the prop in front of a horrified audience.
It’s believed the crowd initially thought it was a staged trick before someone called out ‘call the ambulance, there is blood’.
‘The opera was immediately stopped and the audience was asked to leave,’ the theatre said.
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Investigators said they were probing the circumstances surrounding the shocking death.
Sources told local media they believed the falling prop was a ramp.
The Bolshoi, one of the world’s most prestigious theatres, has been struck by tragedy in the past.
In July 2013, a senior violinist died after falling into the orchestra pit.
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