KUNMING: A waitress received burns wounds to her face following the explosion of a large pot of boiling soup when she attempted to fish out a lighter of a customer accidentally dropped inside it.
The incident reportedly took place in Kunming city of China’s Yunnan province when a customer dropped his lighter into the hot pot full of soup at the table, a traditional Chinese meal which involves cooking pieces of meat and other ingredients.
The footage showed the terrifying moment when the scalding liquid burst out on the waitress’ face and the diners.
As the hot pot is kept simmering at the table by an electric stove, temperatures of the broth, often mixed with chilli oil and other spices, could get as high as 200 degrees Celsius (392 Fahrenheit), Daily Mail reported.
The waitress and the male customer were taken to hospital for treatment immediately, according to BTime. The incident occurred on May 15 and Haidilao on Tuesday said they were still investigating the matter further.
A Haidilao spokesperson told BTime that the accident happened when one of the customers at the table dropped the lighter into the broth as he was passing it to his friend.
The customer suffered minor burns to his hand, she said, adding that the waitress is making a good recovery.
‘We will implement additional training for our staff,’ she added.
