Disclaimer: This article contains elements of suicide that some readers may find disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
An influencer from China drank pesticide during a livestream after her viewers egged her on to do so. However, she died the next day due to the severity of the poisoning.
According to Sohu, the influencer identified as Luo from Hunan, China posted a video on Douyin on 14 October where she informed her followers that it would be her last video and thanked them for their company and support.
She shared with her fans that she had been suffering from depression for a long time and had spent more than two months in the hospital receiving treatment.
“My diagnosis is official, it’s not fake. I may appear to be happy, but that’s just [for the fans],” she said.
“I hope everyone will be happy when they see my videos and will see that I am happy too, [but] I can’t hold on anymore.”
Luo then said that she would reveal the reason during a livestream and assured her viewers that it was not a sponsored video. However, she did not indicate that she was going to take her own life, reported Shin Min Daily.
During the livestream, some viewers noticed the bottle of pesticide next to her. Many of them were horrified and urged her not to drink it and reminded her that she still has parents. However, others instigated her to drink the poison.
“Quickly drink it”; “Drink it if you want to”; “The bottle doesn’t contain urine, right?” they said.
Luo gave in to the pressure and drank the entire bottle of pesticide. She then showed the empty bottle to the camera and said, “I’ve finished it”.
Moments later, Luo appeared to be experiencing some discomfort and clutched her neck. She was then taken to the hospital, but it was too late by then and doctors were unable to save her. She died the following day on 15 October.
Meanwhile, one netizen, who claimed to be a friend on Luo, said that the livestream was supposed to attract her ex-boyfriend’s attention and that she had mixed the pesticide with a beverage.
The friend also revealed that Luo’s phone records showed that she had called the police and an ambulance, which shows that she probably did not intend to commit suicide.
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Also read: 23yo China Influencer Falls To Death Allegedly While Recording Herself On 160-Foot Crane