Runaway coffin skittles mourners in traditional burial gone horribly wrong
A mountainside funeral in China has ended in disaster after the coffin was dropped down a steep slope, crashing into several people below.
Shocking video of the incident on Tuesday shows the coffin plummet down a steep slope after a rope reportedly snapped and funeral workers lost their grip at the rural site in Yiliang County, in the southwestern province of Yunnan, with several coffin bearers sent tumbling.
The coffin ploughs into several people below, launching them metres from where they were standing amid screams of horror.
A dozen or so people watching on rush to help.
Video of the incident has since gone viral on Chinese social media. Several reports online suggested one person had died in the incident while many others were injured.
However the Health Bureau of Yiliang County told Shijian Video this was incorrect and that only three people had suffered flesh wounds.
Some users on Twitter-like site Weibo suggested cremation, which is more common in Chinese cities, should be considered more often if family tombs are difficult to access and when the coffin is of considerable weight.
Others offered their sympathies to the family over the distressing incident.
Locations for graves in China, particularly in rural areas, are chosen with the principals of Feng Shui in mind, with mountainside locations near water that have a good view favourable, Feng Shui practitioner Zhen Yi previously told China Daily.
China places great emphasis on respecting deceased relatives with April 4, known as Tomb Sweeping Day, a national holiday in China where families visit and clean the graves of deceased relatives.
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