Singapore Preschool Teacher Dies Hours After Mystery Animal Attack During China Holiday

A 27-year-old Chinese national working as a preschool teacher in Singapore died on 2 Jun after an animal allegedly bit her on her toe in Sanya, China.

Li was holidaying in the southern Chinese city with her boyfriend, surnamed Zhang. The couple had arrived in Sanya on 1 Jun.

Animal Attack Leaves Tourist Fighting for Life

The incident happened around midnight on 2 Jun as the couple walked along a road approximately 300 metres from their hotel. Apparently, an animal suddenly emerged from nearby bushes and bit Li on her toe.

Zhang carried Li back to their hotel room immediately following the incident. He rinsed her wound with tap water and tried to squeeze blood from the bite marks while Li searched online for medical assistance.

The area was apparently not well-lit, preventing the couple from identifying what bit Li. When they turned on their phone flashlights, there was no animal in sight. They saw two bite marks on Li’s toe.

“We only saw two bite marks on [Li’s] toes. We felt that it was a snake, but we did not catch a glimpse of what kind of snake it was,” Zhang told Chinese news outlet Fengmian News.

Worrying that the ambulance might take time to arrive, the couple decided to take a taxi to a hospital in Sanya. Li suffered from nausea and vomited during the journey. Her wound became slightly swollen, and they had to stop along the way for her to throw up.

They reached the hospital past 1am on 2 Jun.

Hospital Treatment Delays Spark Family Complaints

At the hospital, the couple told a doctor that Li might have been bitten by a snake. However, after examining Li’s wound, the doctor apparently told Zhang that they could not rule out the possibility that she was bitten by an insect.

The doctor arranged a blood test and an intravenous drip for Li. She was vomiting frequently and slipped in and out of consciousness. A nurse gave her an injection to stop her from vomiting. Another doctor later arranged an additional blood test.

After the results came out, the doctor allegedly told Zhang that they could not rule out the possibility that Li was bitten by a venomous snake. However, the doctor advised Zhang to transfer Li to another hospital, as their hospital had never dealt with snake bites before, alleged Zhang.

By the time the hospital arranged for an ambulance to take Li to another hospital, Li had already slipped into a coma. When she was carried into the ambulance, it was already 4:30am, which was more than four hours after she was allegedly bitten.

Although Li received treatment at the second hospital, she was eventually pronounced dead at around 7:20am.

Zhang questioned why the first hospital they visited took three hours to diagnose Li, when she was suffering from muscle twitching.

Li’s younger brother also accused the first hospital of not taking Li’s injury seriously, noting that it only informed Zhang that they had never dealt with snake bites three hours later.

Furthermore, Li’s brother asked why the second hospital did not admit her to the intensive care unit given the severity of her case.

Li’s family believed the two hospitals had caused delays in Li’s treatment and lodged a complaint to the health authorities in Sanya.

The first hospital that Li visited said an investigation into the incident has been launched. The second hospital stated that it has been monitoring Li’s situation and is currently investigating her case.

The second hospital said it is in touch with Li’s family members, including her parents. However, both hospitals declined to share further details and asked the media to wait for the official statement from health authorities.

Sanya health authorities told Jiupai News that they are aware of news reports regarding the incident and that investigations are ongoing.

According to Li’s cousin, doctors at the second hospital told the family the bite involved neurotoxins and administered serum, though they did not specify which type of serum was used.

The victim’s cousin stated that if the final investigation confirms the attacker was not a venomous snake, the family will accept the conclusion. However, they need confirmation about whether the first hospital followed proper treatment protocols and why the second hospital used anti-snake venom serum for treatment.