Accident stimulation Photo: dahe.cn

A 3-year-old boy was tragically strangled to death in a shopping mall elevator in Luoyang, Central China's Henan Province on July 23, the result of a freak accident while playing with another child.

Luo Jiacheng was playing with a loop of rope with another 6-year-old boy inside the freight elevator, when the two circled the rope around their neck and waist respectively, reported the Zhengzhou-based Dahe Daily.

As the doors closed, witnesses say the 6-year-old suddenly jumped out with the rope still around his waist. The elevator then moved downward with Luo inside and dragged him toward the ceiling.

Luo died on route to the hospital due to sustained injuries.

"My son suffered head and neck injuries that indicated he was crushed on the ceiling of the elevator," said father Luo Zhiyong, who owns a business in the mall.

After viewing surveillance video, Luo Zhiyong believes the father of the 6-year-old boy had pulled his son out of the elevator as it moved downward while the other end was still around Luo's neck.

Local police are investigating the case and no criminal charges have been pressed as of publication.

Web Editor: liyingxa@globaltimes.com.cn