12-year-old climbs into washing machine to 'cool off' after getting scolded by mother, gets stuck

The operation lasted 16 minutes and all throughout it, the rescuers kept reassuring the girl to 'hang in there' and not be afraid. (Representational image: Unsplash)

A girl in China climbed into a washing machine to “cool off” after her mother scolded her for not completing her homework on time, got stuck, and had to be rescued by emergency services.

The incident happened on March 30 in eatern China's Jiangsu province, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. The girl realised that she was unable to move soon after climbing inside the top-load machine. She then called out to her mother, who tried and failed to get her out. She then called the emergency services for help.

When firefighters arrived, the girl was reportedly crying in pain. “It hurts!” she yelled. The rescue team decided to dismantle the machine as attempting to pull her out could have caused injuries.

They removed the washing machine’s outer shell, covered the girl with a blanket before using hydraulic cutters to carefully cut open the machine’s casing. The operation lasted 16 minutes and all throughout it, the rescuers kept reassuring the girl to “hang in there” and not be afraid.

The team managed to free the girl without causing any injuries. Although the publication did not specify if the mother-daughter made up after the incident, social media users in China said they found it "hilarious".

The story is currently viral with related videos gaining more than one lakh likes.

“This is hilarious, and I bet the mother is even more angry now," SCMP quoted a user as saying. "Kids need to learn how to manage their emotions and understand that some things can be really dangerous,” added another.