This is the horrible moment a pregnant woman dies of suffocation in Xi'an, north China, despite rescue attempts.

The woman, who has not been identified, fainted over a set of railings on a busy commercial area of the city and got her head trapped between the barriers in the process on Monday, according to Huanqiu, an affiliate of People's Daily Online.

She was said to be seven months pregnant with twins, neither of which could be saved.

Tragedy: A woman died after getting her head trapped between the metal bars of a railing in Xi'an, China

Failed: Locals tried to rescue her by prying apart the metal bars but had little success despite their efforts

According to a local shop keeper, the incident took place around 4pm local time on March 28.

The woman, thought to be in her 30s, was said to be feeling faint and used the railings for support as she was on her own.

Unfortunately she fainted, which led to her head getting caught.

Passersby rushed to her rescue but the metal bars were too stiff for them to pry apart.

A short video from the scene showed two men trying to pull the barriers apart from either side of the woman.

Their efforts yielded no results however.

By the time the ambulance arrived, the woman already had no signs of life and it was too late to save the twin in her womb.

Sorrow: The woman was said to have been seven months pregnant with twins, who could not be saved either

The woman's husband, named Ai Zhongfeng, told Hong Kong's Mingjingyoubaow that he believed the design of the railings was one of the causes of his wife's death.

He has already informed the local government and hopes that some positive changes could be made as a result.

The incident has already been ruled an accident but it's not clear whether there will be further investigation into the cause.

Shockingly, it's not the first time that such a tragedy has happened in China in recently years.

Six such incidents have been reported in the last six years.

Most recently, a man in his 60s died in Beijing in August 2015 after getting his head caught.

The man was said to have been waiting for the bus when he fainting, leading to the tragedy.



