'Half man' learns to walk in China

Nearly 13 years after his body was sliced in half when he was struck by a freight truck, Peng Shuilin is making the most of life, thanks to an assortment of mobility aids.

The Chinese man - who measures just 78cm - was discovered in two pieces after a road accident in the town of Shenzhen in 1995.

Medics realised his lower half was beyond salvation but a series of operations closed up his bottomless torso.

Skin was transferred from his head to the underside of his severed body to keep his organs alive and away from the damaging effects of outside exposure.

After several operations he was still too weak to contain his organs and spent the subsequent months in a horizontal position.

Mr Peng built up the strength in his arms for mobility and then began searching for firms specialising in manufacturing artificial limbs.

Experts assembled artificial legs for Mr Peng, specially fitted to his torso.

Doctors at the China Rehabilitation Research Centre helped Mr Peng learn to walk again with two bionic legs, attached to a special casting.

His perseverance and fight for life, and a number of mobility aids, now help him negotiate the everyday activities of normal-bodied people.