Happy day turns to tragedy as bridesmaid falls from balcony to her death in Guangdong

The house in the village of Haipu, Shunde where the woman fell to her death. Photo: Handout

A 22-year-old bridesmaid fell to her death from the third-floor balcony of a house during a traditional Chinese wedding game, according to a mainland media report.

The incident happened in Shunde, Guangdong province, on Tuesday, the News.qq.com report said.

According to the news outlet, the railing on the balcony from where the woman fell was in a state of disrepair.

"After the bridesmaids received red envelopes from the bridegroom, they opened the door and the groomsmen rushed upstairs," the report quoted a witness as saying.

"The woman was then found to have fallen from the top floor."

It is tradition at a Chinese wedding for the groom and his groomsmen to wait for the bridesmaids to open the door to them before the ceremony can begin. The bridesmaids do this only after they are given red envelopes by the groom.

Police said the cause of the woman's death was still being investigated.

The incident took place in Haipu, which was one of the mainland's richest villages in 2005, with industrial output of 674 million yuan (HK$773.53 million), the report said.