Tot hangs himself for fun during 'suicide game'
(eastday)
Updated: 2005-05-26 08:58

Young Luo Huawen narrowly escaped death yesterday after hanging himself from a clothesline during a "suicide game" with friends.

An adolescent (R) is experiencing death for a moment as a parterner presses hard on his chest. Such game of death is highly risky. [scol]

The 4-year-old son of migrant workers was reported to be out of critical condition at a city hospital last night.

The close call occurred at 10am yesterday in a residential complex in Baoshan District's Luodian Town.

Four boys were playing around a nylon clothesline that drooped to about 1 meter above the ground.

A community resident who responded to the cries of the boys found Luo hanging from the line with both feet off the ground.

The boy was rushed to nearby Luodian Hospital where doctors cut open his trachea and saved his life.

"The boy was barely breathing when he arrived here," said a doctor in the hospital's emergency room.

Luo was transferred to Baogang Hospital late yesterday afternoon, where he underwent another operation.

Luo's parents refused an interview with Shanghai Daily when reached by phone yesterday afternoon.

Residents from the residential complex said they often saw the boys playing around their homes.

They said the youths lived nearby with their migrant parents, who were busy looking after their small stores. The only adult attending the minors reportedly was a grandmother of one of the boys.

The other youngsters told authorities they were playing a game in which they imitated suicide by hanging themselves on the clothesline.

When it was Luo's turn, he became tangled in the rope and began to have trouble breathing.

It wasn't clear why the boys thought the game was fun, but similar activities caused widespread alarm among parents and police last year.

Last March, some students began playing what was called "The Game of Death." Spread on the Internet and played mostly in Nanjing and Hong Kong, the game involved making someone faint by having other players press on his chest.

The goal was to experience a glimpse of death through short-time unconsciousness.

After hearing about the game, Shanghai school authorities took measures to help the students understand the high risks involved.

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