Chinese girl at risk of losing hands after spending three hours clearing snow at school without gloves
- Teenager suffered severe frostbite after she and her classmates were sent to work outdoors at a school in Heilongjiang, where average winter temperatures fall to -10C
- Principal says school will help with medical costs, but ‘is not sure’ it is wholly responsible
A teenage girl is at risk of losing her hands after spending three hours clearing snow at a school in northeastern China without gloves, according to media reports.
Lu Yanyan, 13, spent three hours working in freezing temperatures at the school in Heilongjiang, where average daytime temperatures at this time of year are -10C (14F), news portal Kankanews reported on Monday.
The school’s principal said the school would help pay for her medical costs, but also told the news site that he was not sure if the school was wholly to blame.
The whole class had been ordered to clear snow upon arrival at Taipingzhuang Middle School in Anqing on New Year’s Eve, the report said.
She spent three hours clearing snow with her classmates under the supervision of her teachers before complaining that her hands had gone numb.
The school did not offer to provide gloves while she was working.