Chinese Boy Loses Eyes in Gruesome Attack

A six-year-old Chinese boy was
attacked and had his eyes gouged out in
what state media are describing as a
possible attempt to sell his corneas on
the black market.

Police say the boy was walking in a field
Saturday in a rural area of Shanxi
province, where his parents work as
farmers, when he was attacked by an
unidentified woman.

Local police said the boy's eyes were
later found nearby. He is being treated at
a hospital, but doctors were not able to
save his sight.

The state-owned China News Service
reported that the corneas had been
removed from the eyeballs, apparently
to be sold on the black market. Some
police later rejected that report, saying
the motive was not known.

Police have offered a $16,000 reward
for information leading to the arrest of
the attacker. The story has prompted
outrage among Chinese social media
users, who are demanding justice be
carried out.

China has suffered a shortage in
corneas and other body parts for
transplant, because of a lack of organ
donors.