Pictures of two Chinese boys who travelled 80km (50 miles) in the undercarriage of a bus have sparked an online outcry.
The two, who have not been named by state media, are from a poor village in southern Guangxi, and had been trying to reach their parents, who work in neighbouring Guangdong province.
They were reported missing on 23 November by their teacher, and found on the same day in the undercarriage of a vehicle at a bus station.
Pictures and video show the two boys caked with mud and clinging to the bottom of the bus.
'Wanted to find parents'
The boys were "around eight or nine years old" and were found by security workers when the vehicle stopped at a station en route.
They had travelled for about 5km of their journey along "steep slopes" and staff spoke of their "surprise" to find that they were unharmed, reports BBC.
"These children's bodies were really thin, so the undercarriage was a good hiding space," one worker told the paper.
Staff said the boys were reluctant to speak when questioned. But one staff member told Southern Morning Post: "We finally came to understand that these two boys had been missing their mum and dad.
"They had hidden under the vehicle because they wanted, in vain, to find their parents."
Reports say that their relatives were informed and the children were picked up the same evening.
