The shocking death of an elderly woman outside a bank that’s rocked China

By Emily Wright, World News Reporter

A video of an elderly woman who died outside a bank in China has sparked outrage. (Image: Getty)

The death of an elderly Chinese woman has fueled public outrage over the country's rigid withdrawal rules at its banks. The critically ill woman died outside a Hunan bank after being forced to appear in person to withdraw money for medical expenses.

The woman who was hospitalised for hemiplegia - which results in severe or complete loss of strength leading to paralysis on one side of the body - was brought to the bank in a wheelchair by her family after the bank insisted she come in person to withdraw her fixed deposit of 50,000 yuan (£5,223), according to a video posted by her nephew on Weibo on Wednesday (May 15). The distressing video on social media (which can be viewed here) has sparked outrage over rigid banking regulations that prioritise security over accessibility.

The critically ill woman died outside the bank after being forced to appear in person to withdraw money for medical expenses. (Image: Getty)

The critically ill woman died at the entrance of the Agricultural Bank of China’s Tianxin branch in Zhuzhou City, Hunan, before she could complete the withdrawal procedure, the nephew said in the video. He said the money was to allow her to receive further treatment at another hospital where she was being transferred.

According to Chinese state-owned local news outlet Da Wan News, she repeatedly failed to pass the facial recognition as she was too ill to blink or shake her head as required during the screening and died after nearly an hour-and-a-half of failed attempts.

In China, banks like the Agricultural Bank of China have made it mandatory to use facial recognition technology to process withdrawals.

This is not the only time an incident like this has occurred, either. There have been similar incidents in the past where families have been forced to take their elderly loved ones to the bank to get their money, including a dying father in 2023 and another in 2024.

Chinese netizens also called for reforms in regulations and policies to show more empathy for sick and elderly customers. (Image: Getty)

"The management systems of many of our banks have long been integrated with many advanced technologies, but the only thing missing is: humanity," read one of the comments on a discussion thread around the latest social media post on Weibo. 

Another asked: "The bank requires the person to withdraw money in person out of consideration for the safety of customer funds, but shouldn't the regulations be humane? When facing such a special seriously ill elderly person, can’t they handle it flexibly?"

Chinese netizens also called for reforms in regulations and policies at institutions across industries to show more empathy for sick and elderly customers and offer alternative solutions to accommodate their needs.

Local news sites have reported that a staff member of the Shifeng District office, one of the four urban districts of Zhuzhou City, said the police at its Tianxin subdistrict have intervened and are investigating the matter. The Agricultural Bank of China’s Zhuzhou branch said the bank has set up a special working group to fully cooperate with police on the investigations.