Staff writer, with CNA
An employee at a horror-themed entertainment venue in Taipei nearly died on Sunday when she was accidentally strangled while playing the ghost of a person who had died by hanging, rescue workers said. The 30-year-old woman, surnamed Wu (吳), was in cardiac and respiratory arrest when emergency personnel from the Taipei City Fire Department arrived on scene in Xinyi District (信義) after receiving an emergency call at 7:41pm Sunday, the department said in a news release. Paramedics administered CPR on the woman and transported her to a nearby hospital, where she regained her breathing and circulation and was no longer in life-threatening danger, they said.
A representational image of horror themed entertainment venue is pictured in an undated photograph.
Photo: Screen grab from RostartGames’Web site
In their preliminary investigation, it appears Wu was accidentally strangled by the prop rope around her neck, the department said, adding that she was found unconscious by coworkers and escape room players. The Taipei Police Department said it has ruled out foul play, after questioning six witnesses and examining video footage from the escape room, as part of its investigation.
After Wu’s family filed a criminal complaint for bodily injury, two representatives of the venue’s management company were summoned for questioning, police said. The venue where the accident occurred — the “Yongchun Hospital” escape room run by Rostart Games — has been referred to the authorities for labor and workplace safety inspections, city officials said yesterday. Escape rooms are live-action adventure facilities that offer interactive experiences in which a team of people are “locked” in a space and must find clues, solve riddles or complete tasks to achieve a goal — usually to escape — within a time limit.