February 6, 2013
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Two Californian teenagers had some of their fingers ripped off when a school tug-of-war contest went horribly wrong, officials said Tuesday.
The pair of senior students, a girl and a boy, were said to be in stable condition in hospital after the lunchtime accident Monday, said an official from the El Monte Union High School.
The incident happened when the rope snapped. Both teenagers underwent surgery to re-attach the fingers, but it was not immediately clear how successful they were, or how many fingers were lost.
"At this point, I cannot disclose the outcome of the surgery, but this morning the kids are in stable condition," USC Medical Center spokeswoman Rosa Saca told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
The girl involved is a varsity soccer player, while the boy plays football, the newspaper reported.
"I think the kids wrapped their hands around the rope, and when they pulled the rope broke, and the fingers went with (it)," one female schoolmate told KTLA5 television.
El Monte Union High School District Assistant Superintendent Edward Zuniga said he did not know how many other people were taking part in the tug-of-war at the school, east of Los Angeles.
KTLA reported that 40-50 people were involved and watching when the accident occurred.
