Chinese Student Suffers Severe Burns After Roommate's E-Bike Battery Explosion

A Chinese student, Du Junhao, suffered serious injuries after his roommate’s electric bike battery exploded in their apartment. Du, a third-year student at Wuhan City College in central China's Hubei province, was left in critical condition with burns covering 90% of his body and severe damage to his respiratory system.

The incident happened last year when Du rented a flat with his schoolmate, Li Jiajun, so they could work part-time jobs. Li had rented an electric bike to use for his delivery job, paying around 300 yuan (Rs 3,500) per month. Despite Du warning Li multiple times not to charge the battery inside their flat, Li continued to do so.

Early one morning, at around 6 a.m., the battery caught fire and released toxic gases. Li, who was sleeping closer to the door, managed to escape in time. However, surveillance footage showed that Li ran toward the hallway to grab a fire extinguisher but returned and locked the door behind him, leaving Du trapped inside. The door automatically locked, preventing Du from escaping for about half a minute. That short time was enough for the fire to cause severe damage to Du’s body.

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Du’s condition worsened with damage to his respiratory tract, which kept him in a critical state for some time. He had to undergo multiple surgeries, and two fingers on his left hand had to be amputated. For months, he was unable to speak. His family, who come from a middle-class background, had to raise funds online to help with the enormous medical bills. So far, they’ve spent around 3.2 crore rupees (2.8 million yuan) on his treatment, and have raised 3.04 crore rupees (2.6 million yuan) from social media donations.

At first, Du felt hopeless and thought about giving up, but seeing how much his family was doing to help him gave him the strength to keep fighting. “My life is not just mine,” Du said, expressing his determination to recover.

Li Jiajun, Du's roommate, was arrested by the police for causing injury through negligence. He faces up to three years in prison for his actions.