- By Supratik Das
- Sun, 28 Sep 2025 08:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Quanzhou snake attack survival: In a shocking story of human resilience, a 48-year-old woman in Quanzhou, Fujian province, lived 54 hours in an old abandoned well, getting drained of all energy, bitten by mosquitoes, and even having some close calls with water snakes, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The accident took place on September 13, when the woman, surnamed Qin, was taking a walk in the woods close to her hometown. "I didn't notice the old well and fell in suddenly," Qin explained to SCMP. Her family had reported her missing the day after her unsuccessful initial search. The top of the well was narrow, but it opened into a wider one at the bottom, and there was no way Qin could have escaped. She remained stuck in semi-darkness for more than two days.
Survival Against Odds
Qin's swimming expertise helped her survive. She remained in the water with the support of a stone fixed in the wall of the well. "There were many moments when I completely broke down in despair.". The well bottom was pitch dark, infested with mosquitoes, and even contained some water snakes who swam close by. I got bitten once on my arm by a water snake, but luckily, it was non-venomous," she said to SCMP.
Despite injuries to her hands and ulcerations caused by holding the slippery wall, Qin improvised to gain better stability. She clung to one hand, holding the stone, and used the other to excavate three more stones as footholds that enabled her to stand in the unstable position for over 54 hours.
Rescue Operation
On September 15, the rescue team from the Jinjiang Ruitong Blue Sky Emergency Rescue Centre was summoned. Deploying thermal imaging drones, they spotted Qin at about 1:45 PM. "We heard a faint cry for help and soon located her underwater, holding onto the wall," explained team captain Du Xiaohang. The rescuers proceeded cautiously to remove the vegetation around the wellhead and brought her to safety.
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Qin was sent to Jinjiang City Hospital as soon as possible and then transferred to Quanzhou First Hospital for treatment. She was diagnosed by doctors with two broken ribs, a mildly collapsed lung, and bad hand injuries. She is stable now and predicted to recover fully after being observed for a few days, hospital officials said. Thinking about what motivated her, Qin added, "There were countless times I wanted to quit. But then I would think about my 70-year-old mother, my 80-year-old father, and my daughter who just entered college. If I left them behind, what would they do?"
Her survival story has captured widespread attention on Chinese social media. One user commented, “Unimaginable. The kind of willpower a person can summon in a life-or-death moment is truly remarkable.” Another wrote, “She is so strong. Thank goodness the rescue came in time, and I’m relieved the snake wasn’t poisonous.”