April 28, 2013 - People watch as Indian Sailendra Nath Roy attempts to cross Teesta river suspended from a zip wire attached to his ponytail moments before his death in Siliguri, West Bengal state, India. (AP)
An Indian stuntman attempting to break a world record by crossing a river on a zip-line -- while hanging by his ponytail -- died while performing the feat Sunday.
Police officer Sailendra Nath Roy, 49, apparently had a heart attack as a result of zip-lining on a wire suspended nearly 600 feet in the air across the River Teesta in West Bengal, India, according to a Sky News report.
Roy holds the Guinness World Record for covering the longest distance on a zip-line while hanging by his hair.
Roy’s shoulder-length hair was attached to a pulley on a wire, and he had completed about half the distance when he suddenly stopped. As a crowd looked on in horror, Roy became entangled and could no longer propel himself forward.
"Roy tried frantically to get hold of a second rope to reach the finishing point," senior police officer K Jayaraman told Sky.
After several minutes, Roy stopped moving and was eventually rescued.
No medical personnel or ambulance was present during the stunt.
He was admitted to a nearby hospital, but was declared dead by doctors after a suspected heart attack.
An autopsy was expected Monday.
Roy achieved the Guinness World Record after covering 271 feet on a zip-line while attached by his hair in 2011 in Rajasthan, India. He also used his hair to drag a train on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Roy’s younger brother Benoy, who was watching the stunt, said, "We were proud of his bravery.”
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