A man accidentally hanged himself on a large group of people who are watching a play about the Crucifixion of Jesus in recognition of the Easter Holiday.
Tiago Klimeck, hanged himself while re-enacting the death of Judas Iscariot during the performance.
He had been playing the role of Judas in a Passion of Christ local theatre company’s production of The Passion of the Christ in Itararé, a city just west of São Paulo.
While acting the scene in which Judas commits suicide after betraying Jesus, he was supposed to ‘hang himself’ from a rope then pretend to be dead.
But the safety vest the actor was wearing under is robe is believed to have risen up across his neck, strangling him.
Klimeck was left hanging for four minutes until horrified performers and spectators realised it wasn’t part of his performance and rushed to his aid.
Pictures show the actor taking part in the play before the incident in which he was suffocated.
The actor was taken to hospital in a critical condition following the accident during the Good Friday open-air performance.
Scans revealed that the incident caused cerebral anoxia as the oxygen supply to his brain had been cut off.
Klimeck’s life support machine was finally switched off on Sunday afternoon. The incident is being investigated by the local police.
Brazil is a predominantly Catholic country where the Passion of Christ is put on every year in front of big audiences.
The biggest show is at 100,000sqm theatre complex in Pernambuco, north eastern Brazil.
Thousands of visitors watch more than 500 actors appear on the nine separate stages at what is one of biggest outdoor theatres in the world.
Hollywood star Michael Sheen led a revival of the Easter tradition in the UK last year taking on taken the role with a 72-hour performance in which he stayed in character for the entire time.
The climax of the play saw the ambitious actor ‘nailed’ to a cross and ‘crucified’ in front of a huge audience in his home town of Port Talbot in south Wales.
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