Officials stay in air-conditioned car after hitting woman
Two senior officials' indifference to a woman hit by their government car in Jiyuan, Henan, has sparked public outrage.
The officials, who are with the city's justice bureau and were in the car's back seat at the time of the accident, stayed in the air-conditioned car and refused to assist the victim "due to hot weather", the reported yesterday, citing witnesses.
Their driver did get out of the car, helped the injured woman and called for an ambulance, the report added. Monday's accident occurred around noon when the justice bureau vehicle knocked down the woman, who was riding an electric bike.
A photograph taken by a bystander shows a woman sitting on the ground in front of the car with blood visible beneath her legs. "The two senior officials just sat in the car laughing and talking as if nothing had happened and because they were afraid of the heat, they refused to get out of the car and assist," another witness told the .
A crowd of 40 to 50 bystanders reportedly gathered at the scene and angrily urged the two officials sitting in the back seat of the car to get out and help.
Temperatures have risen to 35 degrees Celsius in the area this week.
After a half-hour standoff with the irate bystanders, one of the officials - a middle-aged man wearing a white dress shirt - got out of the car and ran from the scene, according to witnesses.
The Jiyuan Municipal Bureau of Justice said the woman was sent to hospital and the accident was under investigation.
