8-year-old girl pulled to safety after spending 7 hours trapped in sewer during southern China floods
Shreeaa Rathi | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jun 27, 2025, 17:46 IST
( Image credit : AP, TOIGLOBAL )
An eight-year-old girl survived after being trapped in a sewer in China. Heavy rainfall caused intense flooding in Guizhou province. The girl was swept into a sewer while retrieving her shoe. Emergency responders rescued her after seven hours. She escaped without serious injuries. Floods have affected several provinces, causing displacement and casualties. Authorities are on alert for further disasters.
In an incredible story of survival and bravery, an 8-year-old girl was rescued after being trapped for over seven hours inside a sewer in China’s Guizhou province during intense flooding caused by days of heavy rainfall.
According to local authorities, the incident happened on the afternoon of Monday, June 23, 2025. The girl was on her way home from school when she dropped her shoe near a drainage ditch. While trying to retrieve it, she was swept away by fast-moving floodwaters. The current pulled her nearly 32 feet deep into a sewer pipe, where she managed to cling to a horizontal metal bar to keep from being carried further.
Emergency responders launched an immediate search and were able to locate and rescue her late that evening. Though drenched and visibly shaken, she miraculously escaped without any serious injuries. “She fought through complete darkness, freezing water, and overwhelming fear with extraordinary calm and determination,” read a statement from local firefighters. “We salute her courage.”
The girl’s story stands out as a beacon of hope amid the ongoing devastation in southern China. Widespread torrential rain since June 17 has triggered major flooding across multiple provinces, including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, and Guizhou. As of Thursday, June 26, the floods have claimed at least six lives and displaced over 80,000 residents, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Particularly hard hit was the mountainous Guangxi region, where several towns along the Liu River were submerged as floodwaters surged from upstream. In Meilin township, flood levels peaked at more than 13 feet above safe limits. Meanwhile, authorities remain on high alert as forecasts warn of a tropical cyclone making landfall, raising the risk of further disasters.
The floods have already caused widespread damage to infrastructure, disrupting transportation and utilities. Chen Xiaoguang, a professor at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in Chengdu, highlighted the challenges rural areas face. “Limited infrastructure and resources make it difficult for rural counties to respond to extreme weather. Strengthening these systems is crucial for long-term resilience,” he said.
Even as waters begin to recede, regions across southwest China—from Chongqing to Yunnan and Sichuan—remain vulnerable to secondary hazards such as landslides, road collapses, and dam overflows.
This powerful event is not just a testament to one little girl’s strength, but also a reminder of the urgent need to prepare for an era of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather.