Boy, 11, in critical condition after home-made bomb explodes in front of him in China
Child was with friends when they found ‘iron egg’ in jar outside abandoned factory
An 11-year-old boy is in critical condition in hospital after he was severely injured when a home-made bomb exploded in front of him in southern China.
The boy, identified only as Xiao – or “Little” – Xiong, found the explosive device in a jar outside an abandoned factory in a village in Liupanshui, Guizhou province, Thepaper.cn reported on Thursday.
He had been walking with friends in the village of Zhongbei on Tuesday when they discovered the bomb, which they described as looking like an “iron egg”, according to the report.
Xiong took it home and it exploded when he threw it to the ground after his uncle, who was nearby, warned him not to play with the object.
Hong Kong’s female bomb disposal officers on keeping your nerve, blazing a trail, and breaking the glass ceiling
Villagers rushed the boy to Liupanshui People’s Hospital and he was later transferred to Guizhou Orthopaedics Hospital in the provincial capital Guiyang.
Both of his hands had to be amputated and he sustained injuries to his face, chest and abdomen in the blast, according to the report. His doctor told the news website Xiong also had multiple infections and was still in critical condition.
Life as a ‘left-behind’ child in China
Xiong is cared for by his grandmother while his parents work in the eastern province of Zhejiang. They were reported to be on their way back to the village.
The boy is one of some 61 million “left-behind children” from poor families in China whose parents – either one or both – have left their rural homes to find jobs as migrant workers in the cities.
Police are still investigating where the bomb came from.
Chinese toddler survives on his own for five days on tap water after grandfather dies
