YouTuber Yeah pays compensation after girl dies copying her

Beijing: A Chinese influencer has agreed to pay compensation to the families of two girls - after one died in what her family says was an attempt to copy a viral video.

Yeah, 25 - whose real name is Zhou Xiao Hui - has seven million subscribers on YouTube and is known for unconventional office cooking videos.

The girls, aged 14 and 12, were allegedly copying a video in which Yeah makes popcorn in a tin can, the BBC reported on Friday.

The girls were heating up alcohol in the can when it exploded on August 22. The 14-year-old, identified as Zhezhe, later died from her injuries on September 5.

The 12-year-old girl, Xiaoyu, needs cosmetic surgery, according to her family.

Despite paying compensation, Yeah denied that the girls were replicating her video - saying they attempted a different method, and that her videos are not meant to be instructional.