Very depressing news out of China where two are dead after a woman dropped her cellphone into a cesspool and several people tried to retrieve it. The tragedy unfolded quickly as more and more ventured into the sewage, but soon found themselves overwhelmed. From Daily News:
The tragedy unfolded after the woman dropped the $300 phone into the open-pit toilet. Her husband jumped into to retrieve the cell but soon lost consciousness. His mother then jumped into to save him but she too lost consciousness.
In panic, reports the South China Morning Post, the woman who dropped the phone jumped in as well, but she was also overcome by the fumes…
In total, six people were pulled from the cesspool. The woman and her husband have a 1-year-old son. A doctor said the victims suffocated.
I’ve got a friend who dropped his phone into the toilet on an almost weekly basis, but nothing like this. Where we could just reach in and get it, this woman and her family members had to dive and risk their lives.
I know it’s probably a rarity to get your hands on a pricy phone, but I still don’t think it is worth risking your life to retrieve it. Of course that doesn’t account for those people who think their phone is their lifeline. Some can’t live without them and sadly, that became a reality this time around.
(Via Daily News)