A young man who attempted to take a shortcut to meet his girlfriend, accidentally fell into a tunnel under construction on Wednesday night and is now in critical condition.

When the migrant worker in Nanjing saw his girlfriend appear suddenly on the other side of the road, he called out loudly "My dear, I am coming." He tried to step across a railing covering the tunnel but fell into it. The 18-year-old was rescued half an hour later, but remains under intensive care in hospital.