The curtain is coming down on "The Greatest Show on Earth" after 146 years, as Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus lowers its big top for good.

Authorities are trying to determine what caused a support frame to collapse yesterday during an aerial hair-hanging stunt as part of a circus performance in Rhode Island, sending eight acrobats crashing to the ground and onto a dancer below.

A support frame collapsed during a hair-hanging stunt at a US circus performance, sending eight acrobats falling to the ground.

A US federal judge ruled in favour of the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus in a case brought by animal rights activists who accused the circus of abusing elephants.