A Chinese man lost his hand when it was ripped off at the wrist during a tug-of-war contest.
Mr Shi, 30, of Shenzen, joined the beach tug of war competition with more than 100 of his colleagues.
"I had done tug-of-war before. It was all fun and safe," he told the Guangzhou Daily newspaper.
Entrants were divided into teams of five with Shi taking up the back position on his team. To stabilize himself, he wrapped the rope around his wrist and threw the loose end over his shoulder.
His match was heading for a draw when members of the audience started helping both teams to try to end the stalemate - without noticing Shi's hand trapped in the rope.
"I called on people to stop, but my voice was too quiet to be noticed," he said.
The competition was eventually halted when people noticed Shi holding up his damaged limb.
He was rushed to the Guangzhou Harmony Hand Hospital where his severed hand was reattached in a five hour operation.
Hospital president Liang Ming said it would be another 10 days before it was known whether the operation had been a success.
"His hand was pulled off by strong opposition forces. We can only amputate if it fails. Even if the operation was successful, he may never do delicate work with his hand again," he said.
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