A 13-year-old boy in Dezhou city, Shandong province, who was seriously injured when two co-workers inserted a working air pump into his anus, was transferred to Beijing for further treatment on Thursday.

Du Chuanwang suffered damage to many of his organs. He was immediately sent to Xiajin County People's Hospital.

Du Chuanwang, injured in Dezhou city, Shandong province, last month when two co-workers inserted the hose of an operating air pump in his anus, is moved to the Bayi Children's Hospital in Beijing on Thursday afternoon. Wang Jing / China Daily

Ai Qingze, head of the hospital's intensive care unit, said the boy was in a serious condition. "The pressure inside his abdomen was so high that his legs turned purple. The surgeons immediately cut open his abdomen to let the gas out, and found that his small intestines were bleeding very badly."

Du underwent an operation to repair his intestines at the hospital. Ai said the air pressure damaged Du's liver, kidneys and stomach.

His face and nose also showed signs of necrosis, but Ai said the cause of the condition had not been determined. "We have suggested the patient's family transfer him to a better hospital, for as a county-level hospital our hospital doesn't have enough medical resources to treat him."

The incident occurred on June 30 while Du was working in a garage in Xiajin county, Dezhou. Police in Xiajin have detained the two workers suspecting of injuring Du.

"The two suspects surnamed Zhao and Chen severely injured Du by pressing him down and pumping air through his anus with an air pump," the police said on their Sina Weibo account on Thursday. "The case is under further investigation."

The two suspects are said to be in their 20s. Police called the incident a "prank".

Sun Shunchang, 27, who is from Xiajin but has lived in Beijing for more than a decade, visited Du in hospital and donated money to help with his medical expenses. He said the attack appeared to be more than just a prank. "Some media reported that they were just making a prank. But is it possible that two men in their 20s played this kind of prank on a teenager?"

Wang Xi, an anchor at Shandong-based Qilu TV, posted a micro blog on her Sina Weibo account on Wednesday asking for help for the boy. The message has been forwarded more than 300,000 times.

Angel Mom, a Beijing-based non-governmental organization that helps and raises money for disadvantaged children, saw the message and requested assistance from the Beijing Emergency Medical Center to transport the boy from Xiajin to the Bayi Children's Hospital in Beijing.

Du arrived at the Bayi Children's Hospital at 5 pm on Thursday in an ambulance sent by the Beijing Emergency Medical Center. He was immediately carried to the ICU.

Zhang Lei, a doctor at the center, accompanied Du during the trip to Beijing. "His vital signs are stable now," said Zhang. "But he needs more surgeries to repair his intestines and treatment to control an infection in his lung."

Du's father and three other relatives also accompanied him to Beijing.

According to Ai, the treatment Du received at the Xiajin hospital cost about 100,000 yuan ($15,700), 60,000 of which was paid for by the boss of the garage where Du worked.

Dong Qilu, Du's uncle, said the family has only managed to pay less than 20,000 yuan of the medical expenses.

Li Yuan, a counselor for Angel Mom, said the organization has received about 400,000 yuan in donations, while Wang Xi said Du's family has received 100,000 yuan in donations.

Li said the organization has suspended the donation drive. "The donations we have collected are enough to support this phase, where we will try our best to help him survive. We will open for another round of donations if it is needed."

Zhao Yinan contributed to this story.

wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn