Woman thanks good samaritans after rain-soaked birth in Chinese city street

Her face pale, Li Li, who gave birth in a street in Shenyang, capital of the northeastern Liaoning Province, three days ago, said, "My girl and I would have died if people had not helped us at that critical moment.

It began to rain at about 1 p.m. Saturday when Li, 33, began calling for help on a street corner in downtown Shenyang after feeling the birth coming on.

    Liu Liwei, a passerby, stopped a taxi for her, but she was too weak to get into the car and the cab drove away.

    At that moment, the baby was born, half a month earlier than expected.

    A man, followed by a barber's assistant, rushed out of a nearby barbershop with his hair half-cut. They wrapped up the baby and covered Li with their clothes.

    Many passersby circled Li to shelter her from the wind and rain.

    The man, Zhang Tiejun, drove Li in his car to a nearby hospital along with Liu at about 2:40 p.m..

    Doctors said after treating Li and girl for an hour that both were stable.

    Jian Xiumei, director with the department of gynaecology and obstetrics of the Central Hospital of Power, where Li was treated, said Li faced the risk of blood loss and the baby could have suffocated.

    Zhang and Liu visited her over the past three days and bought baby clothes and necessities, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.