Smoke from a TV explosion in second-floor kills a bright student sleeping in her fourth-floor apartment in China

Cai Shuwen, a sophomore at Shanghai Normal University, was sleeping in her fourth-floor home in the Pudong New Area, China when a TV in a second-floor apartment blew up on Saturday. But Cai, despite sleeping with her windows open, died in her bed of smoke inhalation. An elderly woman had been watching TV when the image suddenly disappeared. It is believed she went to seek help from neighbors and the property management company without first unplugging the set. The elderly woman was safe, although the contents of her apartment were destroyed. A mother and her son living on the sixth floor were also at home when the explosion occurred.

Unable to escape their apartment due to thick smoke on the staircase, they sheltered in the bathroom, covering their mouths and noses with wet towels.They switched off the power and gas, kept in touch with the boy’s father by cell phone and managed to leave the building after firefighters extinguished the flames at 10:30am. Cai was a student at Women Culture Institute, which only admits excellent female students. Officials said she was a very good student and had received scholarships.