Eight acrobats and one dancer were injured in a Rhode Island circus performance after part of the stage collapsed on Sunday, ABCNews.com reported.
The frightening incident occurred around noon during the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Blue Unit's show, held at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence.
According to Roman Garcia, the show's general manager, eight acrobats were hanging from their hair when they fell anywhere from 25 to 40 feet.
"Everybody's conscious. Everybody's doing well. We ask everybody to pray for the girls," Garcia said at a press conference.
The city's public safety commissioner said the performers were transported to nearby hospitals. Rhode Island Hospital told NBCNews.com they had 11 patients from the collapse -- one listed in critical condition.
"Their necks went forward -- it was awful," audience member Sydney Bragg told ABC News. "They kept the lights off so no children could see. When the lights went on, we could see them lying there. They started lowering the screens to cover it up."
Othello Smith, who was with his family in the audience, immediately the left the show after the terrifying accident happened.
"One of the performers was crying," Smith told The Providence Journal. "It looked pretty bad."
It is unknown what caused the collapse and the later shows, scheduled for 3 and 7 p.m., have been cancelled.
The show's Blue Unit debuted in January, but it remains unclear if they will continue with their upcoming shows.
In 2004, a 32-year-old Ringling performer died after falling at a show in St. Paul, Minnesota. According to The Associated Press, that was the first death in at least a decade.
