A five-year-old boy was blasted about eight feet into the air by a jet of water as he played in a public fountain in China. The child’s clothes were torn to shreds by the high pressure water and he suffered a bloody nose and cuts after he landed face first on the concrete. The exact moment the child was sent to the air was captured on camera by a visitor taking pictures of the popular fountain in Enshi, Hubei province.
The little boy was cooling off with his parents at the Xinjian Cultural Centre square’s musical fountain, which is visited by scores of people every night. The hi-tec water and lights show shoots strong blasts of water straight from jets set into the pavement.
The child’s father Wan Lu is furious at the lack of signs warning people about the dangerous jets. He said: ‘There were no warnings or signs to tell anyone what to expect. ‘One minute our boy was splashing happily in the water, the next he was flying through the air screaming. ‘It was so strong his trousers were ripped to shreds and when he landed he went down face first and his nose started bleeding.’
However, local media said the fountain is cordoned off and warning signs have been installed telling people that the jets are dangerous. Town Hall officials have blamed the parents of the youngster for his injuries. A city spokesman said: ‘They should have kept a closer eye on him. ‘It was quite obvious that this water was very powerful.’