Chinese toddler freed from washing machine

BEIJING – A Chinese toddler who climbed inside a washing machine during a game of hide-and-seek got stuck and had to be rescued by emergency workers with a power saw.

The three-year-old, identified as Chaofan, had been playing with his mother at their home in Taiyuan in central Shanxi province when he became trapped.

Firefighters had to dismantle the washing machine first, then use a circular power saw to cut open the plastic drum to get the boy out.

The child was freed after two hours on Sunday, according to state broadcaster China Central Television, which aired footage of the rescue operation Tuesday.