Taiwan woman, 29, in critical condition after getting strangled by rope while acting as hanging ghost in escape room

A 29-year-old woman was left in critical condition after she was reportedly strangled by a rope while acting as a hanging ghost in Taipei, Taiwan.

The incident took place on May 10 at about 7pm at a hospital-themed escape room on Songde Road in Xinyi District, The Standard and Taipei Times reported.

Strangled

The escape room worker, surnamed Ng, was an actress at the escape room.

While acting as a hanging ghost, a suspected operational error involving a real rope led to her being accidentally strangled.

The rope apparently tightened around her neck and cut off her air supply, causing her to lose consciousness and go into cardiac arrest.

Participants only realised that something was wrong when they noticed the scare actress' face turning bluish-purple, prompting them to call for help.

She was allegedly found to have ceased breathing and did not have a heartbeat due to prolonged oxygen deprivation.

Paramedics administered Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and conveyed her to Taipei Medical University Hospital.

Ng was resuscitated and transferred to intensive care.

According to a social media post by Ng’s brother, it was unclear how long she was deprived of oxygen.

She was scheduled to remain in hospital for three days.

Props

Ng’s brother claimed that his sister had previously complained about the escape room props.

She alleged that the props were handmade by the employees of the escape room and not professional safety props.

The rope appeared to be a hemp rope that had no breakaway or anti-strangulation measures or safety mechanisms.

Ng’s brother added that only one employee was stationed at each area of the escape room, and there were no surveillance cameras in the employee areas.

He further alleged in his post that there were reports of a previous incident where an actor was choked by a rope.

Ng’s family has filed a complaint against the escape room.

Investigations

Six individuals were summoned for questioning by local police.

The escape room was ordered to halt operations as three major workplace safety violations were identified.

According to authorities, the escape room failed to implement necessary safety measures, such as having a two-person buddy system, as well as violating workplace safety laws and regulations.

In Taiwan, the offence carries a fine of NT$30,000 (S$1,212) to NT$300,000 (S$12,125).

Authorities also added that the escape room failed to conduct proper risk assessments and did not provide Ng with the required occupational safety training, further violating workplace safety laws and regulations.