Toddler drowns in septic tank

By Zha Minjie  |   2009-7-14  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl drowned after someone removed the cover of a septic tank at a residential community on Baoshan District's Yixian Road.

The toddler had been missing for two days before her body was discovered on Sunday.

Baoshan District Police said yesterday that they had detained a middle-aged man alleged to have removed the cover.

The girl, Ren Sijing, is believed to have fallen into the tank while playing on Friday. Her family called on the community to warn people about the tank.

"Ren's mother is still shadowed by the sudden death of her daughter and we do not want to see tragedy happen to other children again," said Ren's uncle, surnamed Fei.

Yesterday there were no warning signs or safety barriers around the tank although the tank cover was back on.

Lu Rong, Ren's mother, called the police on Friday after she had searched desperately throughout the complex for her daughter who had been out playing since 8am but had failed to return home.

Police began a search and talked to more than 800 residents, but the girl was nowhere to be found. Then one resident told the police that the tank had been left uncovered on Friday morning when Ren was playing in the area.

Ren's body, wearing a pink T-shirt and yellow skirt, was recovered by the police from the tank at 4:30pm on Sunday.

Police said the suspect, who lived in a village near the community, was at the septic tank twice that morning, taking dung out to fertilize his vegetables and had left it uncovered for about half an hour.

After an initial investigation, the man, who is thought to be mentally challenged, will be sent to a judicial expertise center to be certified, police said.

Police did not reveal his name.

Ren's family moved into the community a year ago. Her father worked in a local factory.