A temple in eastern China was the scene of a bizarre ding dong when a tourist was left trapped under a giant bronze bell after it came crashing to the floor.
Lin Wang was standing underneath the huge bell - used to summon Buddhist monks to prayer - when his friends began ringing it furiously at the temple in Linzi, Shandong province.
The screws securing the bell were wrenched loose and it fell to the floor, trapping Mr Lin and forcing firefighters to use a forklift truck to free him.
Firefighters worked for more than two hours trying to heave the enormous bell off the ground and free Mr Lin.
Bell-der's bum: Lin Wang was left trapped beneath the huge bell when it fell from its mounting at a temple in eastern China
'This bell is very old and should have been treated with respect,' said a temple spokesman.
'Instead, it broke and the bell fell on top of the man like a trap. The bell is very heavy and he's lucky he wasn't crushed,' he added.
Firefighters set up a series of winches and pulleys before finally lifting it with a forklift truck.
Stuck: Firefighters worked for two hours to free Mr Lin using a system of pulleys and winches
Safety inspectors said that screws securing the bell's mounting bracket were wrenched out because of the frantic ringing.
But the unrepentant tourist said: 'It's a bell, it's supposed to be rung. They should have made sure it was safe.'
Near miss: The giant bell, used to summon Buddhist priests to prayer at the temple in Shandong province, fell down when Mr Lin's friends began ringing it furiously
Rescue effort: Staff at the temple in eastern China said the bell should have been treated with more respect
Heave: Firefighters said screws securing the bell's mounting bracket were wrenched out because of the frantic ringing
Wrenched loose: Safety inspectors said the tourist was lucky to have escaped being crushed by the huge bronze bell
Source : dailymail
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