'I heard her screaming on the way down': Horrified audience members describe moment Cirque du Soleil performer plunged 50ft to her death during Las Vegas show

Sarah Guyard-Guillot was hoisted up the side of the stage before she slipped



The 31-year-old acrobat then plummeted into an open pit below



Audience members said initially people believed it was part of the show



But the performance of Ka at the MGM Grand was then stopped



Cirque bosses said they are 'heartbroken' and 'devastated' by her death

An audience member at Saturday's Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show has described the horrific moment she watched the acrobat plunge 50 feet to her death, hearing her screams as she fell.

Paris-born mother-of-two Sarah Guyard-Guillot, 31, was pronounced dead late Saturday night after she slipped free from her safety wire during the performance of 'Ka' at the MGM Grand.

Aryan Rahmat described the tragic moment to the Today show: 'It went from just watching the show and it being normal to watching someone fall to their death.



'Somehow the rope or the harness that was holding her up, I don't know if it broke or what happened.



'I heard her screaming on the way down.'

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Devastated: Sarah Guyard-Guillot was pronounced dead after slipping from her safety harness during the show

Tragedy: Sarah Guyard-Guillot fell about 50ft during Cirque du Soleil's 'Ka' Heartbreak: Guyard, a mother of two, had more than 22 years' experience as an acrobat

Witness: Aryan Rahmat, who was in the audience, says she could hear screams as the performer fell to her death

Other witnesses said she was being hoisted up the side of the 'vertical' stage when she slipped and plummeted into an open pit below.



Visitor Dan Mosqueda of Colorado Springs, who was watching the show, called Ka, at the MGM Grand, told the Las Vegas Sun : ' Initially, a lot of people in the audience thought it was part of the [show].



'But you could hear screaming, then groaning, and we could hear a female artist crying from the stage.'

The show momentarily continued, then stopped. It has been cancelled until further notice.

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 had been with the original cast of KA since 2006, and had been an acrobatic performer for more than 20 years.

Shock: One visitor says Guyard (pictured left during a separate performance and practising, right) was being hoisted up the stage when she slipped free of her safety wire and plummeted to an open pit below



'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.'

Ms Guyard-Guillot also worked as a coach with Cirquefit, a children’s fitness and circus program in Las Vegas.



Parents of some of her students left messages on the group's Facebook page paying tribute their teacher.

‘We will miss her terribly! She was an amazing teacher!’ wrote one parent.



‘No words. My boys loved every moment in Miss Sarah's class. Deepest sympathies to her loved ones,’ another parent wrote.

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

Talent: Ms Guyard-Guillot, left, is pictured as one of the 'Forest People' during Cirque du Soleil's 'Ka' in 2008 Attraction: The show is one of the most popular at the MGM Grand Hotel on the Las Vegas strip

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.'

The accident occurred while Cirque's top executives, including president Daniel Lamarre, were in Las Vegas to celebrate the premiere of Michael Jackson One at Mandalay Bay.

Ms Guyard-Guillot , nicknamed ‘Sassoon,’ was part of the original cast of ‘Ka,’ the long-running Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand hotel and casino.



This was the first reported death in the acrobatic company's 30-year history.

On Wednesday night, a performer in a preview performance of that show suffered a mild concussion after missing the protective pad below an act and landing on the stage.



That artist is expected to return to the show.

EDGY ENTERTAINMENT: THE RISE OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Cirque du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company based in Montreal, Quebec, self-described as a ‘dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment.’ The company was founded in 1984 after its initial members began touring Quebec as a performing troupe four years prior. Cirque du Soleil expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, growing from one single show in Canada to shows in over 271 cities on every continent except Antarctica.

Each show employs approximately 4,000 people from over 40 countries, while the company generates estimated annual revenue of more than $810 million. Each Cirque du Soleil show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world containing its own central theme and storyline.



