7 'frozen' children died from illnesses
By Ni Yinbin and Ray Wang |
March 2, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AN investigation into a claim that seven children may have frozen to death in an orphanage in central China's Hubei Province last year has found that all were suffering from congenital diseases.
A netizen identified as Yun Tian wrote in a microblog that the children's deaths were revealed during Yun's visit with family members to the orphanage in Shiyan City.
The visit was on February 23 and Yun said the building was not heated. Many children could be seen shivering, Yun wrote, claiming the building had not been heated for 39 days, despite the cold.
Numerous requests were made by staff to the director to heat the building, according to the microblog, but were rejected because the orphanage had no funds for heating.
Yun said the orphanage director punished staff for revealing details about the deaths, claiming they were not being diligent with their work.
Local government authorities confirmed yesterday that seven children died between October 2012 and January but all had died as a result of their illnesses, according to a team comprised of health, civil affairs and judicial authorities organized by the Shiyan municipal government, Xinhua news agency said.
All seven children had been abandoned and were suffering from serious congenital diseases that included heart disease and cerebral palsy, the team said.
The investigation into the case is continuing. There will be an examination of the daily work at the orphanage to ensure there was compliance with regulations and that there was no child abuse.
A local government official surnamed Chen said the orphanage was a newly finished facility, and every room had heating installed. Additionally, there were regulations in place that stipulated it be turned on when temperatures fell below 12 degrees Celsius.
Chen added that Yun's visit was on a day when temperatures reached 17 degrees and there was no need for heating that day.
A staff member surnamed Qu told media website voc.com.cn that the children had died from pre-existing medical conditions and not from abuse or bad living conditions.
"They had diseases before being sent here. We have limited funds and could only try our best to cure them. Some did not make it," Qu said.
A netizen identified as Yun Tian wrote in a microblog that the children's deaths were revealed during Yun's visit with family members to the orphanage in Shiyan City.
The visit was on February 23 and Yun said the building was not heated. Many children could be seen shivering, Yun wrote, claiming the building had not been heated for 39 days, despite the cold.
Numerous requests were made by staff to the director to heat the building, according to the microblog, but were rejected because the orphanage had no funds for heating.
Yun said the orphanage director punished staff for revealing details about the deaths, claiming they were not being diligent with their work.
Local government authorities confirmed yesterday that seven children died between October 2012 and January but all had died as a result of their illnesses, according to a team comprised of health, civil affairs and judicial authorities organized by the Shiyan municipal government, Xinhua news agency said.
All seven children had been abandoned and were suffering from serious congenital diseases that included heart disease and cerebral palsy, the team said.
The investigation into the case is continuing. There will be an examination of the daily work at the orphanage to ensure there was compliance with regulations and that there was no child abuse.
A local government official surnamed Chen said the orphanage was a newly finished facility, and every room had heating installed. Additionally, there were regulations in place that stipulated it be turned on when temperatures fell below 12 degrees Celsius.
Chen added that Yun's visit was on a day when temperatures reached 17 degrees and there was no need for heating that day.
A staff member surnamed Qu told media website voc.com.cn that the children had died from pre-existing medical conditions and not from abuse or bad living conditions.
"They had diseases before being sent here. We have limited funds and could only try our best to cure them. Some did not make it," Qu said.
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