Canadian ‘accidentally’ causes death of a Chinese on the Great Wall

Canadian ‘accidentally’ causes death of a Chinese

Preliminary investigation into the death of a Chinese woman who was knocked over by a Canadian on the Great Wall showed that her death was an accident, local authorities in Beijing said Thursday.



"On Wednesday, Fortin, a 38-year-old Canadian, knocked down a 73-year-old tourist surnamed Cui from Heilongjiang Province on the Mutianyu Great Wall. Cui later died despite treatment," read a statement published on the official Weibo of the local government of Huairou district.



Further investigation is underway, it said.



According to Cui's niece Chen Lili, who was also a witness, Fortin rushed down from a higher part of the Great Wall and ran into Cui on Wednesday. Cui then fell down and hit her head on the wall.



"There were only a few people on the Great Wall, but there was not much room to avoid the woman [Fortin] when she rushed toward us," said Chen, adding that her family was visiting Beijing from Jiamusi in Heilongjiang.



All of Cui's family members and Fortin were then taken to the local police station.



"The police told us that Fortin was not criminally liable and suggested we try civil procedures," Chen said, claiming that the family had gathered information about Fortin, including her passport number.



"Her visa will expire on April 11, so we could not prevent her from returning to her country, which concerns us," Chen said.



"But we have not found her as of now," she added.



Cui's family members were still waiting in Fortin's hotel as of press time, hoping to talk with her.



The government statement did not mention Fortin's whereabouts. The Canadian Embassy could not be reached.



Local police said that Fortin will not be detained as she is not criminally liable. Considering Fortin's status as a foreigner, it might take some time before the matter is resolved. Hubei-based lawyer Xiao Lijun said that the police are correct in calling the incident an accident if they fail to prove malicious intent on the part of the Canadian, thepaper.cn reported.

Newspaper headline: Canadian ‘accidentally’ causes death of a Chinese



