Chinese Worker Trapped in Pit Dead After 2-Hour Rescue

Worker Trapped in Pit, Dead After 2-Hour Fruitless Rescue

September 9, at about 2:35pm, among the streets in the west of Zhejiang Wenling City, at a construction site at the intersection of Jiulong Avenue and Huanhu Road, a man working slipped into a pit and found himself trapped unable to budge. 2 hours into rescue efforts, the trapped man ultimately died after the mud/silt collapsed from underground water seeping into the pit.

Firefighters rescuing the man who trapped in the pit.

By the time the trapped man had been dug out by the excavator, he had already lost all sign of life.

The trapped man had already lost all signs of life.

The trapped man.

The heartbroken family members. Photographed by Jin Yunguo.

Comments from NetEase:

wzx033 [网易广东省中山市网友]:

I saw from the pictures that his head and shoulders were already out, so how could he still die? He might not be dead even if [the rescuers] tied a thick rope under his arms to pulled him out. Just what happened???

药用雪花膏 [网易广东省佛山市手机网友]: (responding to above)

Great minds think alike. I agree with you.

风毒翩翩 [网易上海市网友]: (responding to above)

Consider the pressure he was under, it might’ve caused injury. We can only blame the rescue for being inefficient/ineffective. If the excavator had dug a bigger hole, maybe it wouldn’t have turned out like this.

2013发帖赚钱者死全家 [网易上海市网友]: (responding to above)

Since he could sink, then to speak from the angle of mechanics, he could also be lifted.
Urbanization has transformed great peasant farmers suddenly into city residents; the internet has made it so the great common people get all their knowledge from it. Just how great it is to not have scientific knowledge, so great that such a simple rescue could could fail.

limin022640126 [网易北京市网友]:

Never ever ding my comment more than 500 times. Otherwise I’ll go to prison. [9,290 upvotes at time of translation]

[Note: The Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate recently issued a statement together declaring that should any online defamatory materials be reposted/forwarded more than 500 times, the one who started it will be held legally responsible. Also previously mentioned here.]

wwcswy [网易广东省东莞市网友]:

This bunch of pigs, so professional!

风毒翩翩 [网易上海市网友]:

Ineffective rescue!

空亦空 [网易广西桂林市网友]:

What kind of a rescue is this? If I put a reed stick into his mouth, he’d still be alive. Look at Ouyang Ke.

网易福建省龙岩市手机网友 ip：222.78.*.*:

Should’ve used a water cannon [fire hose] to blast the mud/silt beneath his feet [around his legs], to break its suction on his body, and then man could get out. This is something that has been taught on scientific TV programs before, and if they were afraid of him drowning, they could’ve given him a respirator beforehand.

黄易跟贴局党委书记 [网易上海市网友]: (responding to above)

Damn, with such a small pit, where would the water from the water cannon drain to?

微尘479 [网易陕西省宝鸡市网友]: (responding to above)

Stupid, just toss in a water pump, and then even the mud that is broken apart/diluted can be sucked out [thereby freeing the man].

sgfhjjhkjkjklkljljlyttyr [网易浙江省金华市网友]: (responding to above)

You are so clever, the moment the water is sucked out, the mud around him would collapse/cave in.

网易浙江省杭州市手机网友 ip：122.225.*.*: (responding to above)

First use wooden planks to reinforce the surrounding mud [walls].

黄易跟贴局党委书记 [网易上海市网友]: (responding to “ip：222.78.*.*”)

CCTV-10 never gets tired of educating people.

为亻十么 [网易广西北海市网友]: (responding to above)

Don’t need to inject water, injecting just air will loosen the mud. The principle is the same as injecting water, only it wouldn’t drown the man. Once the mud is loose, pull the rope that was tied to him beforehand. A perfect rescue.