MU graduate student rescued from pool

Wei was swimming with a friend when she nearly drowned.

By Andrew Worrall

Published June 26, 2009

Columbia firefighters responded to a report of a woman underwater in the pool at the Tara Apartments on Ashland Road just before 9:30 p.m Thursday night.

Columbia Fire Department Capt. Eric Hartman said firefighters arrived on the scene and found a 22-year-old female at the bottom of the pool, under about 8 feet of water.

MU News Bureau spokeswoman Mary Jo Banken identified the woman as Yirui Wei, a graduate student from Tianjin, China.

Hartman said Wei had been underwater for more than five minutes and at least one firefighter went into the pool to rescue her.

A CFD news release stated emergency crews attempted CPR at the scene before the victim was transported to the University Hospital.

University Hospital spokesman Matt Splett said Wei was in critical condition.

Banken said Wei was swimming with a friend at the time of the incident. She said Wei was a weak swimmer and her friend, a resident at Tara Apartments, did not know how to swim at all.

Banken said Wei’s parents, who are living in China, have been notified by the MU International Center and are on their way to Columbia.

The Tara apartment complex is owned by the University of Missouri and has 16 buildings. Residents must be students with children or students over the age of 21.