Taipei: An employee at a horror-themed entertainment venue in Taipei almost lost her life on Sunday, when she was apparently accidentally strangled while playing the role of a ghost who had died by hanging, according to rescue workers. The incident took place at an escape room in the Xinyi District, where the employee was found in a state of cardiac and respiratory arrest.

According to Focus Taiwan, first responders from the Taipei City Fire Department rushed to the scene after receiving an emergency call at 7:41 p.m. Paramedics administered CPR to the woman and transported her to a nearby hospital. She regained her vital signs and was no longer in life-threatening danger, as stated in a news release from the department.

An investigation revealed that the 30-year-old employee, surnamed Wu, was enacting the role of a ghost who died by hanging, which led to the mishap. It appeared that an accident resulted in Wu being strangled by the prop rope around her neck. Coworkers and escape room guests found her unconscious, according to the fire department.

The Taipei Police Department has ruled out the possibility of foul play after questioning six witnesses and examining surveillance video footage from the escape room. However, after Wu's family filed a criminal complaint for bodily injury, two representatives of the entertainment venue's management company were also questioned.

The incident has prompted city officials to refer the "Yongchun Hospital" escape room, operated by Rostart Games, to the relevant authorities for labor and workplace safety inspections. Escape rooms are live-action adventure facilities that offer interactive experiences where a team is "locked" in a space to find clues, solve riddles, or complete tasks to achieve a goal, usually to escape within a set time limit.