Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

This young boy will have to poo through a hole in his abdomen for up to six months after a stream of water from a fountain jet at a musical installation shot into his anus and ruptured his intestines.

The seven-year-old from the county of Guangchang, which is in Fuzhou City in East China’s Jiangxi Province, suffered serious tears in his bowels during the freak accident.

He was among many children running around the musical fountain on the public square outside the office of the Guangchang People’s Government on 28th August.

His mother, Ms Wang, recalled: “He was playing there and would sometimes squat down.

“He just happened to be squatting on top of a fountain opening and the water shot up his backside, damaging his intestine.

“He came out crying and saying his bum and his stomach hurt.”

He was taken to Jiangxi Children’s Hospital, in provincial capital Nanchang, where doctor Xiang Deng chose to create a ‘stoma’ on the boy’s abdomen.

The artificial hole on his skin near his stomach is now allowing stool to pass directly into a bag, bypassing his intestines.

Doctor Xiang explained: “The patient’s recovery is so far not ideal, so we’ve created a stoma to allow his bowels to restore themselves.

“He is currently defaecating via the stoma. It’s clearly traumatising for him.”

The medic said Ms Wang’s son would need to continue to use the stoma for between three to six months before his intestines recover enough to be safely used again.

Mr Xiong, deputy director of the county’s Parks Management Office, said his employees had already put up signs warning parents to keep their children away from the water fountains because of the safety risk.

He said: “But there are so many people – especially at night – that it’s very difficult to control.”

The child’s family is reportedly demanding compensation from the office, with negotiations ongoing.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.