Firemen suspended over brutal hazing

The fire department in Wuhai, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has vowed to punish people responsible for the beating of new recruits shown in video footage that went viral online on Monday.

The 15-minute video, from the Wuda district in Wuhai, shows five young men in fire squad uniforms being slapped in the face, whipped with belts, kicked in the chest or stomach, or having their heads knocked against the wall by a few officers, most of whom were only wearing uniform pants, or smoking cigarettes. The recruits did not fight back.

The city's fire department released a statement later Monday, confirming those involved were officers with the Wuda district No.2 squad, and the beatings happened in June 2012.

"We are shocked about this incident, which has had a very bad impact," the statement said, while apologizing to the abysed officers and the public.

The squad leaders have been suspended and are under investigation, it said, adding that those who have left the fire force or committed crimes will be handed to police, and those who are still in service will be punished according to the fire brigade's regulations.

The footage carried on news portal Sina has been forwarded more than 16,700 times and saw more than 11,500 comments as of press time.

Many expressed their outrage over the offenders, who look like hooligans beating up a group of helpless boys. Others said this is common for new recruits in any military or police forces and is understandable.

"I was also beaten up when I was a rookie in the military, but I would never fight back, because we need to follow orders and learn the older soldiers' wildness and bravery, otherwise you'll never grow up to face the cruel reality after leaving the service," Zhao Tao, who claims to be from an company in Jinan, Shandong Province wrote on his Weibo account on Monday.