Rumor of subway passengers ignoring fainted foreigner refuted

Reports of a foreigner who fainted in a subway car in Shanghai being ignored by station workers have been refuted, xinmin.cn reported on Wednesday.

Earlier media reports showed a foreigner who fainted in a subway car in Shanghai being unattended on Aug 9. According to surveillance video from the carriage, the male expat fainted on a seat at about 9:34 pm and fell down to the floor as the train entered the station.

Five passengers sitting near the foreigner got up and left; within five seconds, the car was empty except for the foreigner.

The surveillance video also showed passengers in neighboring cars of the train disembarking from the train within 10 seconds after someone shouted, "Accident occurred!"

Initial reports say the passengers ignored the fainted foreigner and ran away. However, the subway operator said their workers received notice from the passengers and rushed to offer help to the fainted man. When they went to the car where the foreigner had fainted, he had woken and stood up.

The subway operator revealed the incident on Tuesday and urged passengers keep calm when something unexpected happens during their journey.