A man in east China has died after eating poisonous insects and geckos in a live stream.
The vlogger, surnamed Sun, hosted a show on DouYu, which is one of China's largest streaming platforms.
According to Xinan Evening News, the 35-year-old had 15,000 followers and would host live streams every night. In a bid to boost his subscriber count, he had started spinning a wheel marked with items including centipedes, geckos, mealworms, vinegar, eggs, beer and a clear distilled liquor called baijiu, and would then eat or drink whatever the wheel landed on, live and in front of the camera.
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His last live session was on Thursday 18 July at 7.53pm, when he had been filming himself eating poisonous centipedes and geckos.
According to Chinese reports, Sun was found in his flat in Hefei, Aunhui province, on Saturday when his girlfriend went to check on him.
Police confirmed they found him unconscious in his room without any vital signs. They also found the items of food he had used in his live sessions on his desk, where his computer was still in live stream mode.
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Authorities have reportedly ruled out foul play in the incident, but have been investigating the cause of his death.
Sun's videos have now also been removed from DouYu.
The vlogger isn't the first to have lost his life for the sake of his stream.
Back in 2017, a Chinese rooftop climber called Wu Yongning died after falling 62 storeys while completing a stunt - his death also being caught on camera.
The 26-year-old was well known for his nail-biting videos, and had thousands of followers on social media platform Weibo.
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He died after falling from a 62-storey building in Changsha, the capital city of China's Hunan province, while performing one of his signature skyscraper performances.
According to the BBC, a family member was quoted as saying he was participating in a 'rooftopping' challenge with 100,000 yuan (£11,300 / $15,100) at stake in prize money. However, the details of the competition, and its sponsor is unclear.
"He planned to propose to his girlfriend (the day after the challenge)," the South China Morning Post quoted his step-uncle as saying.
"He needed the money for the wedding, and for medical treatment for his ailing mother."
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Yongning's posts warned viewers not to imitate his dangerous stunts, and that he had martial arts training. He had also previously taken part in some TV and film productions - but it was his rooftop performances that drummed up the most attention on social media - and, according to local media, these were the most lucrative, too.
Featured Image Credit: DouYuTopics: World News, News