Toddler’s 20-hour ordeal down well
Print Edition
A TODDLER who fell down a 40-meter well in Xi’an, capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, was rescued yesterday after being trapped for 20 hours.
Le Le, 2, was following his grandfather on their way home at 6:30pm on Thursday when he fell into the uncovered well on a demolition site. He was eating steamed buns and didn’t spot the danger, his grandfather said.
Wu Jianguo, a pediatrician at the Xi’an Aerospace General Hospital, told reporters: “He is in a stable condition, but isn’t completely out of danger.”
Le Le, who has since been transferred to the Xi’an Children’s Hospital, suffered multiple fractures to his left leg.
The boy could be heard crying and oxygen was pumped into the well throughout the rescue, the Chinese Business View reported.
The well was just 40 centimeters in diameter, making rescue operations difficult, and rain at night worsened the situation, rescue workers said.
Five excavators were used to dig another well nearby and then create a tunnel into the well where the boy was trapped. It was a time-consuming process with work often halted because of fears of a cave-in.
Le Le’s mother lay on the ground next to the well and kept shouting to him to keep him awake, Shaanxi Television reported — “Le Le can you hear me? Firefighters will save you soon.”
A video recorder lowered to the bottom of the well by rescuers yesterday morning showed the boy in tears and calling out for his mom and dad. Rescue workers tried to persuade him to conserve his energy.
After Le Le was rescued, his tearful father knelt down to thank the rescuers, Shaanxi TV reported.
A village on the site had been demolished five years ago, thepaper.cn reported. Almost all households had a similar well at that time, it said. Several wells have no covers, Chinese Business View reported.
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