US woman dies after getting trapped in clothing donation box: Police

In a tragic incident in the US, a woman was found dead inside a clothing donation box in Florida after she allegedly got stuck while trying to retrieve donated items, local authorities said.

According to the Plantation Police Department, officers were alerted around 6:45 am on Friday after a passerby spotted a person stuck in the large pink donation bin, commonly used for collecting clothes and shoes for the underprivileged, according to the New York Post report. 

Emergency responders arrived to find the woman partially stuck inside the box. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

While her identity has not yet been disclosed, police believe she was a homeless, middle-aged woman who may have been attempting to retrieve clothing or footwear when she became trapped.

“At this time, it appears to be a tragic accident,” police said in a statement, adding that a full investigation is underway.

The donation bin was located just a few feet from a daycare centre in Fort Lauderdale, and several parents arriving at the facility were left shocked by the police presence.

“I didn’t expect to hear a body was found. It’s heartbreaking,” a parent told local media.

Images from the scene showed authorities removing the donation box using a flatbed truck. The woman’s body will remain unidentified until her family is notified.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of such donation bins, especially in areas frequented by the homeless.

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump on June 30 signed an executive order ending the economic sanctions on Syria, in a move that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said was aimed at “promoting and supporting the country's path to stability and peace”, according to an AP report.

This comes after Donald Trump promised Syria's new interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who he met in Saudi Arabia in May, that sanctions would be lifted and relations normalised. It comes as a policy shift between the US and Syria that has been in place since George W Bush.