Couple die in theatre tragedy at performance dedicated to Wuhan medical workers who fought coronavirus

Husband and wife were caught in rotating seats but local government only revealed the accident 12 days later, prompting online anger

General manager and operations manager of Wuhan Wanda Dragone fired after incident at the Han Show Theatre

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Han Show Theatre in Wuhan City. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:22pm, 18 Sep 2020Updated: 11:06pm, 18 Sep 2020

A Wuhan nurse and her husband were killed in a tragic accident during a local theatre performance celebrating frontline medical workers and China’s victory against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Wuhan city government said.

Almost two weeks after the accident, the Wuchang district government in Wuhan posted its first information about the incident that occurred about 9pm on September 6 at the Han Show Theatre, a venue run by the Wuhan Wanda Dragone Performing Arts Company.

The Wuchang government posted on the microblogging site Weibo on Thursday night that the rescue response was rapid and the investigation was under way promptly. But people have asked on social media why it took so long to make the incident public and why has so little information has been released.

“Right now, we are still investigating the causes of the accident and the responsible parties. Meanwhile, Wanda has reached agreement with the family of the deceased on matters about compensation,” the government notice said without naming the couple.

The Wanda Group has fired the general manager of Wuhan Wanda Dragone, Deng Wei, and operations manager Deng Wulin since the accident, it said on its official website on Friday.

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