CHINA / SOCIETY
Nine-year-old girl miraculously survives 25-storey fall
Published: Apr 26, 2025 11:30 PM
Outside the window where the accident happened Photo: Screenshot from media reports

Outside the window where the accident happened Photo: Screenshot from media reports


A 9-year-old girl miraculously survived after a fall from the 25th floor of a high-rise building to a 7th-floor platform in Tangshan city, North China’s Hebei Province, when she opened the window alone in her room.  

The girl, nicknamed Xiao An, was alone in her room and had been doing homework before the accident, her mother surnamed Shen recalled, according to People’s Daily.

When she tried to open the window, the screen loosened, and Xiao An couldn't hold on to something in time and fell from the 25th floor, said the report.

When her father went to call her for meal, he found the window open, the screen missing, and a pair of slippers on the 7th-floor platform below, according to the report. 

Shen said they rushed to the 7th-floor platform and immediately called emergency services. 

Shen said that her daughter was conscious but visibly injured when they found her, with multiple fractures. 

"She was terrified and kept saying, ‘Mom, help me,’” Shen said. Mom and Dad reassured the child by repeatedly saying: “We’d do everything, and you will be ok.” 

“We assume that Xiao An may have walked a short distance after hitting the ground but lay down because of the pain," a family member surnamed Ai said. 

Ai said the fall covered nearly 60 meters from the 25th to the 7th floor, where Xiao An landed among water and gas pipes. She was wearing only a school uniform, with bleeding lips and one eye bloodshot. 

After receiving an initial check-up locally, the girl was transferred to a hospital in Beijing that same night, the report stated.

Medical examinations revealed fractures in her arm, brow bone, and thoracic spine. After 10 days of hospitalization, Xiao An was discharged for recovery and will undergo follow-up checks. 

"We all believe this is nothing short of a miracle," Shen said. 

Shen added that her daughter’s psychological state appears stable for now. Once she recovers mobility and her spine heals, the family will assess whether she needs counseling to address potential trauma.

Global Times