A MAN in Taipei got his head stuck in the chute of a claw machine after a failed attempt to steal prizes from it, only to be released later with the help of firefighters, reported China Press.
The 36-year-old, surnamed Zhang, was walking past a claw machine shop in Taipei’s Shulin District earlier this month when a Bluetooth karaoke set worth around NT$300 (RM37.20) caught his eye.
Zhang tried to squeeze into the machine to retrieve the prize. During the attempt, his head became lodged in the chute opening, leaving him unable to move.
The shop owner spotted the incident via CCTV from home and alerted the authorities.
Firefighters dismantled part of the machine and freed Zhang, who suffered only minor abrasions to his head while trying to free himself.
Police arrested Zhang and found that he is on record for theft.
They later referred the case to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office for further action.
> A child in Guangdong, China, suffered injuries after mistaking Pop Pop firecrackers for sweets, reported China Press.
The incident occurred on Feb 21 and was captured on CCTV, which showed the child putting the firecrackers into his mouth just as his mother turned away.
When they exploded, the mother immediately rushed to comfort him.
The video became widely circulated on Chinese cyberspace as a reminder for parents to closely supervise their children when playing with fireworks during Chinese New Year.
Pop Pop, also known as bang snaps, is a type of firework that produces a loud popping sound when thrown on the ground.
In 2023, a one-year-old in Hunan was also injured after mistakenly ingesting a Pop Pop firecracker.
The incident prompted many parents to call on manufacturers to change Pop Pop’s candy-like packaging to prevent small children from mistaking the firecrackers for food.
The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
