Source:
https://scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2118571/hero-doctor-rescues-baby-girl-thrown-river-stranger-central-china
China

Hero doctor rescues baby girl thrown into river by stranger in central China

New mother is out for a stroll with her 43-day-old infant when horrifying attack takes place

Two men raced to the rescue after a tiny baby was snatched from her pram and tossed into a river in central China. Photo: Kanfanews.com

A doctor leapt into a river in central China to save a six-week-old baby girl who had been thrown into the water in an apparently random attack by a total stranger.

The incident happened on Friday as a woman identified only as Liu was pushing her infant daughter in a pram across a bridge in Pingdingshan, Henan province, the Legal Evening News reported on Sunday.

Standing on the bridge was a 28-year-old man with the surname Qin. As Liu passed, Qin reached down into the pram, picked up the tiny child and without saying a word threw her into the water more than six metres below, the report said.

Dr Ge Haifu performed CPR on the baby and wrapped her in a warm towel until she could be taken to hospital. Photo: Kanfanews.com
Dr Ge Haifu performed CPR on the baby and wrapped her in a warm towel until she could be taken to hospital. Photo: Kanfanews.com

The horrified mother screamed for help and was heard by an off-duty surgeon from a local hospital and a second man who were walking beside the river.

The two men ran into the water and carried the 43-day-old baby back to dry land. Realising she was not breathing, the doctor, identified as Ge Haifu, slapped the tiny child on her back and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on her.

A man surnamed Qin (second left) has been detained in connection with the incident. The mother of the child said she had never seen him before. Photo: Kanfanews.com
A man surnamed Qin (second left) has been detained in connection with the incident. The mother of the child said she had never seen him before. Photo: Kanfanews.com

He also stripped off her soaking clothes and wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm until an ambulance arrived and took her to hospital.

The report said the baby was in intensive care but in a stable condition.

Police detained the suspect the following day in neighbouring Jiaxian county and said a formal investigation was under way.

Liu said she had never seen the man before.