Society

Chinese boy survives 20-storey plunge

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-26 18:38

GUIYANG - A 10-year-old boy miraculously survived a fall from the 20th floor of an apartment building in southwest China's Guizhou Province Monday and suffered only slight injuries after landing on a car roof, police and doctors said Tuesday.

Xiao Xiao (not his real name) fell out of an open window on the 20th floor of his home in Guoen Mansion in downtown Guiyang, the provincial capital, at around 8 am Monday, said an officer with the Nanming District police station.

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Fortunately, Xiao landed on a Citroen car, breaking its roof and back windshield. His head was cushioned by a pillow on the backseat.

"Video from the building's surveillance camera showed he climbed on to the window sill about 50 cm above the floor," said the officer, who only gave his surname as Shuai. "The window was open and it was raining outside."

Shuai assumed it was an accident rather than suicide, though an investigation was still under way.

Xiao was still under observation at the neurosurgery department of the People's Hospital in Guizhou. His parents were not available for an interview Tuesday.

Dr. Li Jianyang, who checked Xiao's injuries Monday, said he suffered a sub-arachnoid haemmorhage (bleeding on the brain), but his condition was stable. "No fractures were detected."

The Citroen owner, surnamed Du, lives in the same building. "It's great news the boy survived," he said. "The car can be fixed easily."

The building's property office manager Li Lun said his company would install safety railings to prevent further accidents.