'Miracle girl' Yiyi back on her feet
The 'miracle girl' survivor of the Wenzhou high-speed train crash, orphaned Xiang Weiyi, has become the subject of intense online interest once again after the first photograph showing her standing provided apparent evidence of her making a recovery.
The photograph, apparently taken by her uncle, shows Weiyi - better known by the nickname 'Yiyi' - standing on a hospital bed supported by her grandmother. The two-year-old's left arm and leg are encased in plaster, but her right hand is raised, making a victory sign towards the camera.
'Yiyi [pictured] said to me just now: 'Uncle, I'm going to stand up for you!' Then, with her grandmother's help, Yiyi stood up. She was very proud of herself and happy, my wife and I were so excited! [I want to] share the joy with everyone,' Yiyi's uncle Xiang Yuyu wrote on the Sina microblog site he maintains in his niece's name.
He posted the photo on Monday night and immediately received a strong response from internet users. By yesterday afternoon, the picture had been forwarded more than 13,000 times and received almost 7,000 comments.
A hospital spokeswoman said yesterday that although Yiyi was making progress, she advised against reading too much into the picture. 'Yiyi's standing up is of course a welcome development, but we are unable to state that there has been any specific breakthrough in her recovery,' she said.
Yiyi was the last person to be pulled alive from the wreckage after the July 23 crash, which left 40 people dead and nearly 200 injured and brought a temporary halt to high-speed-rail development.
