Chinese rooftop climber dies after 62-storey fall

A Chinese climber famous for scaling skyscrapers without any safety equipment has died after falling from a 62-story building in the city of Changsha.

The 26-year-old daredevil, Wu Yongning, fell more than a month ago on 8 November but his death was only recently confirmed by his girlfriend, according to the BBC.

Footage reportedly then emerged on Chinese live-streaming site, Volcano, which showed Wu falling from a metal bar he had been hanging from, the Beijing News reported.

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The Chinese media outlet reported that he was participating in a challenge to win a substantial amount of prize money.

His family says he was trying to win 100,000 yuan (£11,300) by taking part in the “rooftopping” challenge so he could propose to his girlfriend.

His step-uncle, Feng Shengliang, told the South China Morning Post: “He planned to propose to his girlfriend. He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother.”

Before his fall, Wu’s Weibo videos had warned viewers not to attempt his stunts.

The former movie stuntman “had one million followers on the Chinese social media platform and was well known for fearlessly scaling towering skyscrapers without any safety equipment,” says the Daily Telegraph.

“More than 300 videos of him tip-toeing on scaffolding or doing pull-ups as he hung from the side of huge buildings were widely shared by his fans.”

The rooftopping trend also known as Urban Exploration is popular across the world in heavily developed cities. “Despite safety concerns, many climbers insist that the use of safety equipment detracts from the experience,” says the BBC.

“The moment you start wearing safety equipment is the moment you've got doubt and when you've got doubt, that's when things can go wrong,” UK climber James Kington told the broadcaster last year.

“It completely changes the way you look at things. You see everything as a possibility rather than walls restricting you.”