Yahoo7 News – Fri, May 29, 2015
WARNING: EXTREMELY DISTURBING CONTENT
China has been shocked by an extremely disturbing video which shows a young boy drowing in a river while his friends laugh in the background.
Media reports identify the boy only as Pao Pao. He is believed to have died on Sunday in China’s Hunan’s province.
The footage shows the teenager floundering in the water and battling to keep his head above water. The laughter of his friends, who apparently fail to understand the gravity of the situation, can be heard in the video.
An ambulance was called after Pao Pao disappeared below the water for more than a minute, however, paramedics were unable to save his life.
The Daily Mail reports Pao Pao and his friends were students at Yueyang County No. 8 Secondary School, and had gone to swim in the river during a day off.
Pao Pao’s friends reportedly failed to help the drowning boy because none of them could swim.
According to reports, Pao Pao was the only one of the group prepared to jump into the water.
While he appeared to be in control of the situation at first, he quickly began to struggle for breath before finally vanishing under the water.
The video of the incident shows one friend in a yellow shirt approaching the side of the water and reaching for Pao Pao, however, he is tragically not able to pull the boy to safety.
A spokesman for Pao Pao’s school said staff had reached out to the boy’s family and reminded students of the dangers of swimming in the river.