Chinese woman trapped in freezer at -20°C rescued delivery rider; offers him company share
Chen tried to attract attention by banging a heavy box of dumplings on the door, later switching to knocking with her slipper whenever she heard someone nearby.
September 13, 2025 01:23 PM IST
First published on: Sep 13, 2025 at 01:22 PM IST
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Chen had opened the freezer fully to move goods, despite safety rules requiring two people to operate the smaller door built into the main freezer entrance. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ Representational)
A woman in Hunan province narrowly avoided death after locking herself inside her company’s freezer, according to reports by South China Morning Post. The woman, surnamed Chen, was working alone in the cold-chain logistics facility on the evening of August 31 when the incident occurred.
Chen had opened the freezer fully to move goods, despite safety rules requiring two people to operate the smaller door built into the main freezer entrance. After placing the items inside, she closed the door tightly to prevent moisture from the outside from affecting the cardboard boxes, but soon found herself trapped. The backup switch was also broken.
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The 20-square-metre freezer was set to minus 20 degrees Celsius, and Chen, dressed only in summer clothes and without a phone, quickly realised the danger. “I would definitely have frozen to death if no one had heard me,” she said, expressing her worry for her two children, one in secondary school and another aged five.
Delivery rider comes to the rescue
Desperate, Chen tried to attract attention by banging a heavy box of dumplings on the door, later switching to knocking with her slipper whenever she heard someone nearby. Her calls were eventually heard by Liu Xu, a delivery rider.
Liu, trained to remain alert in his job, responded quickly.
Chen was inside the freezer for about 20 minutes before Liu freed her. She was shivering badly and required two hours to recover.
In gratitude, Chen presented Liu with a red pennant, flowers, food, gift money, and even offered him a share in the company. She also pledged to repair the freezer.
“People who have freezers should learn a lesson from Chen’s experience. People might not be so lucky every time,” a social media user said, commenting on the incident. Another added, “Not only was Liu’s life saved, her family’s happiness was too.”
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Chen had opened the freezer fully to move goods, despite safety rules requiring two people to operate the smaller door built into the main freezer entrance. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/ Representational) 
