A woman in China narrowly escaped death after accidentally locking herself inside her company’s freezer — only to be saved by a passing delivery rider who heard her desperate cries for help.
The woman, surnamed Chen from Hunan province, was working alone at her cold-chain logistics company on August 31 when she went inside the walk-in freezer to move goods. Safety rules required two people to operate the smaller side door, but Chen admitted she cut corners and opened the main door instead. After closing it tightly behind her, she realized the door wouldn’t reopen — and the backup switch had also failed.
Wearing only summer clothes, without her phone, and trapped in a minus 20°C freezer far from any main road, Chen panicked. She first tried banging on the door with a heavy box of dumplings but grew exhausted. In desperation, she switched to knocking with her slipper whenever she thought someone might be nearby.
By sheer luck, delivery rider Liu Xu passed by and noticed the faint sounds. Sensitive to his surroundings from years of riding, Liu followed the noise and discovered Chen trapped inside. She had already spent 20 minutes in the freezing room and was trembling uncontrollably when he freed her. It took her two hours to fully recover.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Chen later thanked Liu with flowers, food, gift money, and even offered him a share in her company. She also presented him with a red pennant — a traditional Chinese symbol of appreciation.
Chen admitted she feared most for her two children, one in secondary school and the other only five years old. “I would definitely have frozen to death if no one had heard me,” she said.
She has since vowed to repair the freezer door and urged others to respect safety rules and regularly inspect equipment.
Online commenters hailed Liu as a hero, with one writing: “Not only was Liu’s life saved, her family’s happiness was too.”
