A social media influencer in China has died after taking part in an online challenge that saw him chug multiple bottles of alcohol.
Online challenges can often prove to be dangerous - and sometimes even fatal - and Sanqiange Wang, who goes by the name Brother Three Thousand fell victim to an online trend.
As first reported by the Chinese outlet Shangyou News, the social media influencer had previously been banned from Douyin (China's version of TikTok) for being drunk on a live stream.
The story has since been picked up by CNN, who reported that the 34-year-old man was drinking several bottles of alcohol on a live stream.
Sanqiange was reportedly drinking Baijiu, which is a Chinese spirit that has an alcohol content of between 30 percent and 60 percent.
He took part in the challenge on May 16, in what is described as a "PK challenge" where influencers battle it out to win prizes via varying competitions.
The 34-year-old lost in this instance, and his punishment was to drink the bottles of alcohol which ultimately led to his tragic death.
A friend of the influencer, who goes by the name Zhao, told Shangyou News: "I don’t know how much he had consumed before I tuned in. But in the latter part of the video, I saw him finish three bottles before starting on a fourth."
The game allegedly started at around 01:00 AM and 12 hours later, Sanqiange was found deceased by a family member.
The influencer reportedly had a liking for online challenges and would often post videos of himself taking part and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.
Videos of his final challenge have since been removed from all platforms after it went viral on Chinese social media.
Sanqiange's funeral took place on Saturday, and his death sparked a stern warning for all those taking part in online drinking challenges.
According to the BBC, around one billion internet users are active on video platforms such as TikTok and Douyin, and the industry is worth around $22 billion.
This isn't the first instance of a tragedy occurring on a live stream. In 2021 Yu Hailong, who was popular on the app for eating excessive amounts of food, died after "long hours of high-intensity work," according to his agent.
In 2018 a live streamer known as Dafei was found dead after one of his streams involved him drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and cooking oil.
The video platforms have come under scrutiny and are being urged to implement more measures on influencers as some conduct "livestream behaviors that go off the tracks".
Our thoughts are with Sanqiange's family and friends at this time.
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