'Miracle girl' in train crash may have to lose a leg
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Shanghai Daily, August 6, 2011
Xiang Weiyi, the "miracle girl" who was the last passenger to be rescued after a bullet train collision on July 23, is not recovering well, a relative said yesterday.
The little girl lost both her parents in the devastating crash that claimed 40 lives. The 32-month-old, born to a middle-school teacher's family, was pulled from the wreckage more than 20 hours after the accident.
The funeral of little Xiang's parents was held on Thursday.
Her story captured the hearts of people across the country who were praying for her speedy recovery.
But she is now struggling with infections, and there are renewed fears that she might have to lose a leg, said her uncle Xiang Yuyu.
"I thought there would be no more tears anymore since it's already the worst thing you could experience. But it's now getting even worse," he wrote on a microblog about the girl and the accident.
Doctors said the girl's legs were suffering infections.
Because of her serious injuries, doctors were once considering a leg amputation to save her life. That possibility had been raised again because of her worsening condition.
The uncle yesterday appealed to the public to recommend medical experts to help his niece.
A police captain defied an order from railway authority to carry on searching for survivors after the train crash and saved the little girl's life.
About 20 hours after the crash, railway rescue headquarters ordered a crushed carriage to be lifted from the track to clear the way for services to resume. It had believed there was no sign of life on board.
But one of her rescuers recalled: "We were removing the rubble and suddenly we saw a little hand moving inside a crack no more than 4 centimeters wide."
"The girl was crouching in a 50-plus centimeter space, which was kept open by a piece of iron rod. That space saved her," the rescuer said.
