Chinese disaster relief team called in to rescue 200kg man who slipped in shower

Specialist disaster relief volunteers in eastern China needed ropes and a reinforced stretcher to rescue a 200kg (440 pound) man after he fell over in the shower and injured himself, local media reported.

Paramedics and police were the first to arrive at the man’s third-floor flat in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, according to a report by local television station Jiangsu Broadcasting Corp.

They decided that the man, who was not named, needed hospital treatment for his injuries, but because of his size were unable to lift him, so called for backup from the local fire service.

Unfortunately, when the firefighters arrived, they too found they were unable to move the injured man, so they turned to Blue Sky Rescue, China’s largest non-profit search-and-rescue organisation, local newspaper Yangzi Wanbao reported.

With more than 30,000 volunteers nationwide and experience of helping out in the aftermath of many natural disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the group was unfazed by the situation.

Using ropes to stabilise a heavy-duty stretcher, about 12 people from Blue Sky and the emergency services worked together to manoeuvre the man down three flights of stairs and into a waiting ambulance, the report said, adding that the whole process took more than three hours.

He was taken to hospital and is currently receiving treatment for his injuries, the television report said.

The man’s father, surnamed Zhu, was quoted as saying that his son’s size had prevented him leaving the flat for about two years.

He said he was unsure how much the younger man weighed as he had not been on a set of scales for several years, but estimated he was about 200kg, the report said.