“Massive Beijing Hospital Fire Kills 29: Chinese Authorities Censor Information”

2023-04-19 11:25:14

◀ Anchor ▶

Twenty-nine people have died in a huge fire at a hospital in Beijing yesterday.

As the number of deaths continued, Chinese authorities began to control public opinion by restraining SNS as well as reporters covering the scene.

Correspondent Lee Mun-hyeon from Beijing will tell you.

◀ Report ▶

Black smoke billows from all the hospital windows.

People who mightn’t find a place to evacuate sit on the air conditioner outdoor unit in a precarious look and wait for rescue.

The person who hurriedly grabbed the rope made of cloth and clung to it jumped onto the awning and barely survived.

[목격자]

″(The fire) was so bad that there was a line of fire trucks.″

A total of 29 people, including 26 patients, were killed in a fire that broke out at a hospital in Beijing during the day yesterday.

Another 39 people were injured, of which regarding 20 are known to be seriously injured, and the death toll might rise further.

Today, a day following the fire broke out, the scene of the fire was a mess.

A male patient was urgently transferred by ambulance, and the entire hospital was scorched black.

Police are stationed around the hospital to block coverage, so I’m far away from the fire scene behind me.

It is estimated that the fire started on the 5th floor, and the damage was greater because the 5th to the top floors were hospitalized for patients with mobility difficulties, such as the elderly.

The fire department said that during construction inside the hospital, a fire broke out when a spark splashed on a combustible material, and the police detained 12 people, including the manager of the construction company, and are investigating.

After a major fire broke out in the middle of Beijing, Chinese authorities stepped up censorship.

Around 9:30 last night, a video of the fire spread rapidly on Chinese social media such as Sohongseo, but it was deleted in less than 30 minutes, and the incident disappeared from the real-time search term rankings.

State-run media do not report this incident, or even if they report it, they briefly report on the efforts of the authorities following the accident.

At the scene of today’s coverage, the Chinese police followed the reporters around, asking for their ID and passport, and forcing them to delete the video they covered.

This seems to be due to concerns that this fire, which resulted in one death following another, might spread to social discontent.

This is MBC News Lee Moon-hyun from Beijing.

Video coverage: Jang Bo-sam (Beijing) / Video editing: Park Jeong-ho

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