Chinese influencer, 22, crushed to death by RV during Tibet hiking trip livestream

With just two stray dogs for company, a popular Chinese influencer, known by her nickname 'Henan Meimei', was on a solo hiking trip to Tibet which began on May 1 this year. 

But she never made it back home.

In a now-deleted livestream on video-sharing platform Douyin last Saturday (Aug 21) morning, Meimei was broadcasting a scenic view of the Tibetan Plateau to 25,000 followers. 

Around 7.44am, as she was pulling her pink recreational vehicle on the highway, Meimei's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no, I'm in trouble", she yelled in Mandarin as she moved off-camera.

Then, there was a piercing scream as the camera started shaking violently. After a few seconds of silence, the stream came to an abrupt end. 

It was initially speculated that she died due to electrocution, but police confirmed yesterday (Aug 24) that Meimei was killed when she lost control of the vehicle and it ran over her.

According to China Daily, the police found her body stuck under her solar-powered trailer and she was already dead.

The fate of her two dogs remains unclear.

After netizens learnt of her fate, they flooded her page with comments to express their condolences. 

Meimei, who has more than 93,000 likes on Douyin, had been posting regular updates of her trip along with motivational messages for her followers. She described herself as someone who enjoyed a life of solitude and the simpler things in life. 

Before her death, she had aimed to cross the uninhabited Hoh Xil in northwest China's Qinghai Province.

chingshijie@asiaone.com