7-year-old vanishes after falling down 'trap' manhole covered only with thin cloth

A 7-year-old boy in Zhengzhou, Henan Province disappeared on Sunday, April 12 after falling down an uncovered manhole near Xinzheng Lu.

The inspection shaft was located by a construction site underneath a local highway. Most sensible people would have suggested a) applying a manhole cover, or b) cordon off the open well with clear signage; over in the country that health and safety safety, however, someone unaccountably thought it would be a good idea to cover it with a layer of thin cloth.

As thousands of netizens have pointed out, this only makes the hole more dangerous, turning it into a "trap" that looks solid at first glance but, when you step foot on it, immediately gives way and leads to a brutal, sewery death.

Despite the amount of people praying for a "miracle" in Zhengzhou, this was the presumably the fate of the unfortunate child who fell victim to the death trap over the weekend.

[Images via Sina]