BEIJING (SCMP): A girl in China tried to “cool off” after arguing with her mother about homework, only to get stuck inside the family’s washing machine.
On March 30, a 12-year-old girl from Kunshan, Jiangsu province in eastern China was scolded by her mother for failing to complete her homework on time.
The frustrated girl decided to take an unusual step to calm herself down, she climbed into the home’s top-loading washing machine while her mother was not looking.
Once inside, the girl quickly realised she was stuck and unable to move.
After failing to free her, her mother called emergency services for help.
When firefighters arrived, the girl was clearly in pain, crying out “It hurts!”
With little space to work with, pulling her out risked injury, so the rescue team chose to dismantling the machine.
They covered her with a blanket for protection, then used a screwdriver to remove the machine’s outer shell, followed by hydraulic cutters to carefully cut open the washing machine’s casing.
Throughout the 16-minute rescue, they reassured by telling her not to be afraid and to “hang in there.”
The girl was eventually freed unharmed, and a firefighter carried her to a bed to rest.
It is unclear whether the mother and daughter made up after the incident.
The story has gone viral on mainland social media, with related videos racking up more than 100,000 likes.
One netizen wrote: “This is hilarious, and I bet the mother is even more angry now.”
“Kids need to learn how to manage their emotions and understand that some things can be really dangerous,” said another.
Similar incidents about children getting stuck have surfaced across China.
In March, a four-year-old boy in eastern China’s Shandong province climbed onto the lap of a human-shaped statue in a park for an “adventure”, only to get his head stuck.
To avoid damaging the sculpture, firefighters guided the boy to reposition and twist his body, successfully freeing him after 10 minutes.
In February, a 12-year-old boy in Haikou, southern China, got his head stuck in a fence while trying to take a short cut home for dinner after school. - South China Morning Post
