Society

Four family members killed in pig rescue work

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-15 10:13

Four family members were killed one after another yesterday after succumbing to toxic gas in Xinjin County, Sichuan Province, when the first victim among them jumped into a manure pit to save a pig, and followed by others to save the trapped ones, Chengdu Evening Post reported today.

At about 12:20am, Yang Li, the youngest of the family, rushed to her neighbor, Yin Hong, for help and ran back to rescue her family members.

When Yin arrived at the scene, he found four people, including Yang, struggling in a manure pit between two sties.

Yin jumped into the pit without hesitation and tried to push Yang, the 15-year-old girl, to the bank before saving others. However, he himself fainted in the pit.

Followed by his mother, Kang Yulan, who also fainted in the pit during saving her son and other victims.

At almost the same time, Yin's father and elder brother arrived and saved Yin and Kang. The father, an experienced farmer, held his breath and lifted his wife and son backed to the bank.

When he tried to rescue others, he was out of breath and arriving villagers and friends dragged him back to the bank.

Yin's elder brother, a veteran, called the ambulance to launch an immediate rescue at the scene.

Yin and Kang were sent to the hospital in stable condition. However, Yang and three of her family members were unable to be saved.

Local police found that the tragedy was mainly caused by the structure and location of the manure pit. The pit, which was built in Yang's toilet and between two sties, had no ventilation system installed and contained lots of toxic gas, which was very dangerous for pigs and people in the room.