After Three Weeks of Consecutive Night Shifts Handling Parcels, 20-Year-Old Intern Dies; Chinese Family Outraged

Chinese Media Reports: "20-Year-Old Hubei Vocational Student Dies Suddenly During Internship"
Revealed Fatigue After Three Consecutive Weeks of Night Shifts
Family Says "He Was Healthy at Checkup"; School and Company Promise "Humanitarian Support"

Photo unrelated to the article. Asia Economy DB

The family of a 20-year-old vocational college student who suddenly died while interning at a logistics company during summer vacation has expressed their anger toward both the school and the company.

China Newsweek reported on September 23 through social networking services (SNS) that a student enrolled at Hubei Communications Technical College died during an internship. According to the report, the deceased student, identified as Mr. A, aged 20, interned at a logistics company that collaborates with the school during the summer break. Mr. A primarily worked night shifts at the company's Ezhou branch, handling parcel delivery and cargo loading tasks. On September 13, after completing a night shift and returning home, he was transported to the hospital but passed away. The death certificate recorded the cause as "sudden cardiac death." The family stated, "He was healthy at the time of employment, as confirmed by a medical check-up, and had no underlying health conditions."

The family claims that Mr. A’s death may be related to working night shifts for three consecutive weeks, exposure to high temperatures, and prolonged overtime hours. According to his parents, from August 25 to September 13, Mr. A worked every single day without a break. The work schedule shows that in August, he was scheduled for 26 workdays and 5 days off, and in September, 26 workdays and 4 days off. Originally, he was set to work continuously from August 25 to September 15. Mr. A’s internship salary for August was 6,900 yuan (1.35 million won), which exceeds the average monthly wage for urban workers (5,000 yuan, 980,000 won).

Testimonies from classmates indicate that Mr. A had been working night shifts continuously since July. In July and September, his shifts were from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, and in August, from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m. According to the family, Mr. A informed the school that he was "too exhausted," but his concerns were not addressed. When China Newsweek contacted the school, the person in charge stated that they had never received such feedback. After the incident, the school formed a dedicated team and submitted an initial report to the supervisory department, and stated that they are cooperating with the relevant authorities' investigation. The school also said it would support the family and provide a certain level of humanitarian assistance.

A representative of the company in question told China Newsweek that, "At the school briefing session, we had already explained that while both day and night shifts are available at the Wuhan branch, only night shifts are available at the Ezhou branch due to the nature of the work." There are two types of night shifts: 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next day, and 1 a.m. to 1 p.m., with staff rotating between them. The company representative added, "Normally, employees have weekly days off, and are entitled to 4 to 6 days off per month. During peak season, voluntary overtime may occur, but it is not mandatory." He went on to say, "Currently, there are more than 20 interns from this school working at the Ezhou branch, and if there are requests for schedule adjustments, the company actively cooperates. We will do our utmost to provide humanitarian compensation and comfort to the family in light of this tragic death." The bereaved family demanded, "The school and the company must provide a fair and honest explanation for the death and offer reasonable compensation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.