Hungarian crosses the Danube on tightrope

A Hungarian circus artist crossed the river Danube on a tightrope in Budapest on Saturday. Members of the Capital Circus of Budapest have been preparing for months for this historic event, the first time a person has crossed the river using this method.

Award winning circus artist Laszlo Simet walked 280 metres at a height of 30 metres on a 22 millimetres thick tightrope. The rope, stretched between cranes on both sides of the Danube and was also held by a team of 20 people on three barges on the river.

After achieving the feat, Simet hugged his family and looked visibly relieved.Although Hungarian circus arts are a long-standing tradition in the country, no artist has ever walked across the Danube with only the help of a balance pole.