Zorb ball ride on Russian ski slope ends in death

A man has died after taking part in an extreme sport known as zorbing in Russia, according to ABC news.

Denis Burakov and his friend Vladimir Shcherbov weren't the first two adventure-seekers to roll down a hill in a giant plastic ball. They were joining a trend in extreme sports that began in the '90s. However, the ski resort they chose, at Mussa-Achitaro Mountain, was not licensed to offer the sport, according to the Moscow News.

A haunting video of the accident shows the Zorb bouncing off the trail and falling into a gorge where it rolled onto a frozen lake.

News reports say it took nearly six hours to rescue the two men from the bottom of the deep gorge. Burakov, 27, died on route to the hospital. Shcherbov, 33, has been hospitalized with bruises and lacerations, according to reports.

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The tragedy has prompted a great deal of discussion on the social media website Reddit and calls from the sport's inventors in New Zealand for a global safety code to prevent similar disasters in the future.

The Moscow News report says the resort's operators fled the scene and they could face up to 6 years in prison.