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Cirque Du Soleil Cancels More San Francisco Shows After Deadly Accident

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS  / AP) -- Cirque du Soleil "Luzia" has cancelled its San Francisco shows through Friday and hired psychologists to counsel cast and crew members in the wake of an accident that killed a technician earlier this week.

But the show in town for another eight weeks will go on.

Cirque du Soleil Chief Executive Officer Daniel Lamarre says 42-year-old Olivier Rochette, of Quebec, Canada, was killed Tuesday night when a moveable aerial lift, sitting on a slope in the big tent, toppled over and hit Rochette in the head.

Olivier Rochette
Olivier Rochette was killed in a fatal accident at Cirque du Soleil "Luzia" in San Francisco on November 29, 2016. (Facebook)

Rochette, the father of four children, is the son of Gilles Ste-Croix, one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil.

Lamarre says he will reopen the show once psychologists say that the cast and crew are ready.

Police and investigators with the state's workplace safety regulator are investigating the accident.

© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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