Recently, in a tragic incident in Hangzhou, a woman accidentally stepped on hydrofluoric acid while taking a walk, a substance commonly known as “bone-dissolving water,” resulting in her death despite medical treatment being ineffective. The individuals involved in this incident have currently been apprehended.
On the morning of September 18th, officials from the Yuhang District of Hangzhou informed Nandu News Video that the owner of the hydrofluoric acid at the scene has been identified. The police began their investigation on the 17th, bringing the owner in for further questioning and investigation.
It was disclosed by the official that a total of three barrels of hydrofluoric acid were found at the site – one full barrel and two partially empty barrels. However, questions remain about the origin of the hydrofluoric acid, its intended use, and why it was being stored in that location. The authorities are currently conducting an investigation to uncover these details.
According to previous reports, the 52-year-old woman, Ms. Tu, and her husband operated a convenience store on Xianlin Middle Road in the Yuhang District of Hangzhou. Their store was located on the ground floor of a residential building, connected to a residential compound.
Security guards from the compound mentioned that Ms. Tu, originally from Jiangxi Province, rented a house in Hangzhou with her husband and had two children. She often took walks in the vicinity and even cultivated a vegetable patch in the hills behind the residential area. Her husband shared that she slipped and fell onto a container while tending to her crops, leading to swelling on her body, eventually resulting in her hospitalization.
On the evening of September 15th, the Xianlin Street Office of Yuhang District in Hangzhou issued a bulletin, stating that on September 9th, Ms. Tu accidentally came into contact with abandoned hydrofluoric acid, resulting in poisoning when entering a vacant lot near Xianlin Middle Road. Despite being rushed to the hospital and receiving treatment, she tragically passed away in the early hours of September 14th.
Public information indicates that hydrofluoric acid is a water solution of hydrogen fluoride gas. It is colorless and transparent, with a pungent odor and strong corrosive properties. It can corrode metals, glass, silicon-containing objects, and even human bones, hence its colloquial name, “bone-dissolving water.”
On September 16th, Ms. Tu’s husband informed The Paper that he has returned to their hometown to arrange his wife’s funeral, which is scheduled for September 18th.
According to a police report from Hangzhou on September 18th, on the morning of September 9th, Ms. Tu was accompanying two female friends for agricultural activities in the area where the incident occurred. While cultivating vegetables, she inadvertently stepped on a white square plastic bucket in a dilapidated building, came into contact with the liquid (hydrofluoric acid) inside the bucket with her foot, experiencing severe burning pain. Her companions washed her foot with water and took her to her husband’s food store, from where she was later taken to the hospital for treatment.
At the scene, two more similar plastic buckets (one full and one halfway filled, both sealed) and remnants of an outer packaging cardboard box (bearing the name of the manufacturing company and production license number) were discovered in the ruins.
Upon investigation, it was revealed that a small house once stood at the derelict site, where Ai, a male born in 1938 from Hubei Province, had resided from 2013 to 2015. Three barrels of hydrofluoric acid, left behind by Ai Mingbing, his son born in 1973, who used it for external wall cleaning work, were abandoned when they moved out in 2015. The individuals involved have been apprehended, and the case is currently under further investigation.
Previous reports have highlighted the tragic incident involving the Hangzhou woman who lost her life after stepping on hydrofluoric acid, sparking controversy over the official statements regarding the incident.