Chinese Hit-and-Run Toddler Dies

The Chinese toddler who was run over by two vans and then ignored by more than a dozen passers-by has died. "Her injuries were too severe and the treatment had no effect," said the director of the intensive care unit where 2-year-old Yueyue was treated. The case has sparked furious debate in China over whether morals have been left behind during the country's economic boom, and some are calling for a law to punish those who refuse to help people in obvious distress.

The Communist Party chief of Guangdong province called for "searching reflection" on the heart-breaking incident, urging citizens to "take active and effective steps to raise the moral standards of the entire society," Reuters reports. The 57-year-old trash collector who finally came to Yueyue's aid is being hailed as a heroine but, overwhelmed by media attention, she has refused to grant interviews and returned to her home village, the Guardian reports. (More China stories.)