An American college student held in North Korea for 17 months is finally on his way home but with a tragic twist as his parents say he has been in a coma for more than a year.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Tuesday 22-year-old Otto Warmbier was released from prison and would be reunited with his family.

State Department officials refused to comment on Warmbier's health, citing department guidelines, but said the last time the U.S. had any access to Warmbier, through the Swedish Embassy, was March of last year.

Warmbier's parents described their son's release as a medical evacuation. Fred and Cindy Warmbier said they were told their son was given a sleeping pill shortly after his trial last March, and he never woke up.

“At the moment, we're just treating this like he's been in an accident,” Fred Warmbier told The Washington Post. “We get to see our son Otto tonight,” he told the newspaper

North Korea had sentenced Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, to a 15-year prison term for attempting to steal a propaganda poster.

一個在朝鮮被關押了17個月的美國大學生終于獲釋返美，但不幸的是，他父母說，他一年多以來一直處于昏迷狀態。

美國國務卿蒂勒森證實，22歲的瓦姆比爾已經從監獄獲釋，即將跟家人團聚。

美國國務院官員援引國務院的的規定，拒絕就瓦姆比爾的健康狀況發表評論，但表示，國務院最后一次通過瑞典大使館接觸到瓦姆比爾還是去年3月。

瓦姆比爾的父母說，兒子這次獲釋屬于醫療后送。他們被告知，瓦姆比爾去年三月接受審判后不久，有關方面讓他服用了一粒安眠藥，瓦姆比爾就再也沒有醒來。

瓦姆比爾的父親弗雷德·瓦姆比爾告訴華盛頓郵報說：“目前，我們就當是他出了一次事故，我們今年晚上就能見到兒子奧托了。”

瓦姆比爾是維吉尼亞大學學生，他因試圖偷走一副宣傳海報被朝鮮判處15年監禁。

An American college student held in North Korea for 17 months is finally on his way home but with a tragic twist as his parents say he has been in a coma for more than a year.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed Tuesday 22-year-old Otto Warmbier was released from prison and would be reunited with his family.

State Department officials refused to comment on Warmbier's health, citing department guidelines, but said the last time the U.S. had any access to Warmbier, through the Swedish Embassy, was March of last year.

Warmbier's parents described their son's release as a medical evacuation. Fred and Cindy Warmbier said they were told their son was given a sleeping pill shortly after his trial last March, and he never woke up.

“At the moment, we're just treating this like he's been in an accident,” Fred Warmbier told The Washington Post. “We get to see our son Otto tonight,” he told the newspaper

North Korea had sentenced Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, to a 15-year prison term for attempting to steal a propaganda poster.

一個在朝鮮被關押了17個月的美國大學生終于獲釋返美，但不幸的是，他父母說，他一年多以來一直處于昏迷狀態。

美國國務卿蒂勒森證實，22歲的瓦姆比爾已經從監獄獲釋，即將跟家人團聚。

美國國務院官員援引國務院的的規定，拒絕就瓦姆比爾的健康狀況發表評論，但表示，國務院最后一次通過瑞典大使館接觸到瓦姆比爾還是去年3月。

瓦姆比爾的父母說，兒子這次獲釋屬于醫療后送。他們被告知，瓦姆比爾去年三月接受審判后不久，有關方面讓他服用了一粒安眠藥，瓦姆比爾就再也沒有醒來。

瓦姆比爾的父親弗雷德·瓦姆比爾告訴華盛頓郵報說：“目前，我們就當是他出了一次事故，我們今年晚上就能見到兒子奧托了。”

瓦姆比爾是維吉尼亞大學學生，他因試圖偷走一副宣傳海報被朝鮮判處15年監禁。