A man dressed as the Russian Santa Claus, Grandfather Frost, was the victim of a “monstrous misfortune” as he plunged to his death during a stunt for children.
The man, an experienced industrial climber aged between 25 and 35, had intended to stun children gathered around a Christmas tree by climbing down from a residential high-rise building.
But the amazing surprise turned into tragedy as the red-robed Grandfather Frost fell to his death from the 24th floor.
The climber, who reportedly mixed up his safety ropes, crashed on a snow-covered structure on the first floor of the building – which spared the children the sight of the body.
To add to the horror, the man’s wife and his young child were reportedly among those waiting for Grandfather Frost to complete his stunt.
Not everybody among those who witnessed the tragic fall immediately understood what had happened at the residential building in Chelyabinsk, a city in west-central Russia close to the Urals. Rather, many carried on with their celebrations.
One eyewitness said: “Everyone was having fun, and no-one could even think this would happen.
“I thought until the last minute that it was some kind of dummy, that it was a prank. The festivities carried on. There was at first no suspicion that this was a tragedy.”
Another later revealed the incident left some parents in shock, while many of the children didn’t understand the tragedy that had unfolded.
They said: “My son didn’t understand anything. Others understood, and they left in hysterics. All the parents, naturally, are in shock.”
In a clip catching the horror fall and its immediate aftermath, one voice can be heard saying in disbelief: “He didn’t fall?” This concern was echoed by another, who said: “Now he’ll come out [to see the children]…he couldn’t fall!”
The residential management company that staged the event apologised for the incident and described the man as an “experienced specialist”.
They added: “Today’s holiday turned into a monstrous misfortune.” It was, they also said, a “completely unpredictable incident”.
The company continued: “We will do everything in our power to help the police understand the reasons and never allow this to happen again.”
