Escalator tragedy prompts shoppers' fears

The woman's injured fingers. [Photo/weibo.com]

Woman jolted by ATM

A 23-year-old woman surnamed Liu in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, found two of her finger nails broken after withdrawing money from an ATM machine on July 26.

When she entered her PIN on the CEB (China Everbright Bank) ATM, a current was transmitted from her hands to her whole body.

Liu told the reporter that her entire arm was numb and she felt sore. It was after squatting on the floor for a long time that she realized the fingernails of her right thumb and ring finger were broken and bloody. She went to the local clinic and got bandaged up.

After the incident, she complained to the CEB customer service and also told them that her card was swallowed by the ATM.

Reporters went to the spot on Tuesday with instruments to measure the current and found that the ATM, which shocked the girl, is charged with a voltage of 200 V, much higher than the 36 V that the human body can bear.

The staff of CEB Xi'an apologized to Liu and sent her to the hospital for further examination. They promised compensation and to check the machine.

It is still unclear why the ATM was charged with such a high current. The ATM has already been shut down and investigations are underway.

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