A 2-year-old child in Zhaoyuan, Shandong province became locked in a car when he grabbed hold of the car keys, which his father left in the car when he stepped outside to briefly answer a phone call. The child locked the door while his father was outside, and the father had no way of opening the door without his keys.

When the child's father first became aware of the predicament, he immediately panicked and began fanning the car windows ceaselessly. His actions attracted several onlookers, and one woman kindly held an umbrella to shelter the child from the direct sun.

The incident occurred at 10 a.m., when the blazing sun was shining directly overhead. The temperature inside the car kept rising, which potentially threatened the child's life. Fortunately, shortly after the child locked himself in the car, two police officers passed by.

Li Guibo, Deputy Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, said, "I called nearby residents to get some water and pour it on the car in order to cool it down." Upon hearing the policeman's suggestion, Mr. Liu, a businessman, went immediately to fetch a bucket of water.

Mr. Liu explained, "I didn't know what had happened at first, but they said there was a child locked in the car and the key could not be found. The car owner tried to break the car windows with a stone, but it didn't work. He then returned home to get his spare key. At that point, the police officer asked me to get some water, and I did as he said."

The child's father came back 20 minutes later with a spare key.

"The father cried when he finally held his child outside the car. He was so worried when he failed to break the window with stones," onlooker Ms. Wang said.

In response to the incident, police reminded parents that children should never be left unattended in cars.