China child, 10, cleared over death of classmate whose parents claimed popular spicy snack he shared with tragic son killed him
- Tragic child slumped in chair after putting snack from classmate in mouth
- Court rules ‘spicy strips’ met regulations, sharing was ‘act of kindness’
A court in China has cleared a 10-year-old child of responsibility after his family was sued after the youngster shared a popular snack with a classmate who later died.
The child, surnamed Li, whose gender was not specified, shared the flour-based snack, known as spicy strips, which intertwine salty, spicy, and sweet flavours, with his classmate, who was referred to as Xiao A.
“Xiao A took out a pack of spicy strips from his desk, tore open the plastic packaging, and put one strip in his mouth. Then, his head tilted to the side, and he slowly slid to the floor, lying there motionless,” said one of their classmates, recalling the incident.
Their teacher immediately called emergency services, but they could not save the child who died from a cerebral haemorrhage on March 26, 2022.
Subsequent professional tests confirmed that the spicy strips met national safety standards and contained no harmful substances.
Also, a police investigation cast doubt on claims that Xiao A had bitten into or swallowed the snack.