Care centers for vagrants require stricter supervision

The death of 15-year-old Lei Wenfeng at a care center for vagrants in Xinfeng, South China's Guangdong province, in December, which was only recently reported by the media, has uncovered serious problems at the government-funded institution.

The boy, who had autism, got lost after leaving home in August. He was alive and well when aid workers sent him to the care center in October. Yet just over a month later he was dead from typhoid fever.

Worse, it has been revealed his death was only the tip of an iceberg. According to media reports, a local undertaker received 20 bodies from the center over 49 days from January to February.