Daredevil Dies In Zip-Line Ponytail Stunt

An Indian man who holds the Guinness World Record for covering the longest distance on a zip-line while hanging by his hair has died while performing a stunt.

Sailendra Nath Roy, a 49-year-old police officer, was attempting to cross the River Teesta in the state of West Bengal on Sunday on a 180m (594ft) wire above the water.

After attaching his shoulder-length hair to a pulley on the wire, Mr Roy had completed around half the distance but then became entangled and found himself unable to move.

Hundreds of spectators initially cheered him on, but then began screaming in horror when they saw he was making increasingly desperate attempts to move forward.

Senior police officer K Jayaraman said: "Roy tried frantically to get hold of a second rope to reach the finishing point."

After several minutes, Mr Roy stopped moving and was eventually rescued. No ambulance or doctor was present during the stunt.

He was admitted to hospital in nearby Siliguri, but was declared dead by doctors after a suspected heart attack.

A post-mortem examination is expected to be completed later on Monday.

Mr Roy achieved the Guinness World Record after covering 82.5m (271ft) on a zip-line while attached by his hair in 2011 at the Neemrana Fort, a heritage hotel in the desert state of Rajasthan.

Last year he used his hair to drag a train and four coaches on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

His younger brother Benoy, who was witnessing his brother's stunt for the first time, said: "We were proud of his bravery.

"He was sure to win but destiny has taken his life and the most beloved member of our family as well."