KEY POINTS

  • A group of Samaritans rescued a boy from under a car in Shandong, China.
  • An incredible 700 people lose their lives every day on China's roads.

This is the awe-inspiring moment a crowd of Chinese pedestrians came together to lift up a car and save a little boy's life.

The ten-year-old was weaving through busy traffic in the centre of Shandong on 7 November when disaster struck. He was knocked by a large green vehicle and disappeared underneath it.

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By the time the driver realised what had happened, it was too late. The youngster was pinned against the road by the huge machine.

What followed was a near-miracle: without a second's thought or the need to communicate, passers-by rushed towards the vehicle and pooled all of their strength together.

More than 30 people joined in with the relief effort, helping to free the lad, who was then rushed to hospital.

Miraculously, he did not suffer severe brain, organ or spine damage, according to the Shandong Business Post.

Despite wearing a few fractures, he has since recovered from the injuries and is living a full and happy life.

Police later issued a statement urging parents not to drop their children off at traffic lights, but to find a more suitable place to do so.

A 2016 report by the World Health Organisation claimed that 700 people were killed every day on China's roads, making them among the most dangerous in the world.

Bernhard Schwartlander, the WHO's representative in China, said: "The carnage that occurs on the world's roads every single day is a public health crisis of gargantuan proportions."

Schwartlander said countries could not develop sustainably when so many people died or were injured in road crashes, as part of a conversation with the South China Morning Post.

"By definition, the millions of road traffic deaths and injuries that occur around the world every year are preventable," he added.

"While this is an utter travesty, it also means that with the right amount of resources and determination to make changes today, it is entirely within the realm of possibility to create a better and safer tomorrow."

China