A woman reportedly jumped to her death inside a community complex in Hohhot, the capital of northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, last week as local authorities failed to respond to her family’s calls.
In a statement on Sunday, the Hohhot government confirmed that a woman died on Friday inside the community complex that has been sealed under a snap lockdown since Oct. 26 after two people tested positive for COVID-19.
The 55-year-old woman, Mrs. Wang, had reportedly been suffering from an anxiety disorder and had been taking prescription drugs since 2019. She started showing signs of suicidal tendencies and required immediate medical attention moments before her death, according to reports. Despite her family’s efforts to alert the authorities, the local medical emergency team still failed to respond in time.
According to the timeline of the event released by Hohhot’s Xincheng District authorities, the incident started at around 10 a.m. when Wang’s daughter contacted the property manager, only identified as Zhang X., about her mother’s mental breakdown.
She called Zhang again seven hours later to inform them that her mother’s condition had worsened and asked if they could call an ambulance. Instead of helping the family, Zhang allegedly told the woman, “Call them yourself, I’m busy.”
Wang’s eldest daughter, a 35-year-old who lives in Hainan, tried contacting the emergency hotline, but the dispatcher allegedly put the case on hold as they deemed it was a non-emergency call.
