29 dead in Beijing hospital fire
A fire broke out at Beijing Changfeng Hospital on Tuesday (April 18), killing 29 people. In the 8 hours between the fire outbreak and the official notification, the Chinese Internet did not report or discuss the matter, but the matter subsequently ignited controversy on the Chinese Internet.
what happened
The fire accident occurred at noon on Tuesday, but it was not until nearly 9 p.m. that the state-run Beijing Daily issued a report on the situation.
“Beijing Daily” reported that at 12:57 on the same day, the Fengtai District Fire Rescue Detachment received the police: a fire broke out in the east building of the inpatient department of Beijing Changfeng Hospital. After receiving the alarm, the fire department, public security department, sanitation department, emergency department and other departments immediately went to the scene to deal with it. At about 13:33, the open fire at the scene was extinguished.
According to the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, as of 9 o’clock on April 19, 29 people died in the fire accident at Beijing Changfeng Hospital, of which 26 were hospitalized patients, 1 nurse, 1 nurse, and 1 patient’s family member.
“China Youth Daily” reported that after the fire notification was issued on the evening of the 18th, many family members of the patients knew the news of the fire. They wanted to ask the hospital for a death list. However, the staff at the triage desk said that the name of the patient must be registered and reported to each level before they can be notified.
review
After the Chinese government released the notification, social media began to circulate some videos of the fire, but they were immediately censored and many related articles and videos were deleted.
Citizens took to social media to express displeasure with the delays in disclosure and censorship. Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, also said on Weibo: “Before the official announcement at 8:40 p.m., there was very little information about the fire on the Internet, so now people only see the official website. Text notifications, almost no photos and videos about the fire, I don’t think it should be.”
image source,Getty Images
The exterior walls and air conditioner units after the fire in Beijing Changfeng Hospital
But at present, this post is no longer visible on Hu Xijin’s Weibo. He then wrote: “In most cases, public opinion will not have real dissatisfaction with the accident itself, and the emotions will be temporary, so the first notification will only increase the public’s confidence and make the accident happen. Everyone believes that the government and themselves are indeed a community of common interests.”
“In the past when an accident happened, journalists were the first to go to the scene to send back the scene and interview the staff, firefighters and other relevant personnel. Now it is to forward the government’s post.” Weibo netizen “Peter Pan eats fake vegetables” said.
Weibo netizen “Slight smoke smell V on fingers” also said: “When something happens, don’t cover it up and report the truth to the public. This is the responsible approach!”
Changfeng Hospital
According to the official WeChat account of Changfeng Hospital, the group is a large domestic medical group focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of hemangiomas and vascular malformations, with nearly 20 chain hospitals across the country.
After the accident, 12 people including Wang Mouling, the president of Beijing Changfeng Hospital, Wang Mou, the vice president, Wang Mouyang, the director of the general affairs department, Wang Moufeng, the person in charge of the construction company, and Cheng Moujun, the on-site construction worker, were suspected of major liability accidents. He was criminally detained by the Beijing Public Security Bureau.
The Beijing Fire and Rescue Corps stated that after preliminary investigations, the accident was caused by sparks generated during the internal renovation and construction of the hospital’s inpatient department, which ignited the volatiles of the flammable paint on the site. The specific reasons and losses are still under further investigation.
image source,Getty Images
Beijing Changfeng Hospital
According to Jiemian News, Changfeng Hospital Group started as the first hemangioma hospital in Ezhou, Hubei in 2003 when the current chairman, Wang Wenjie, expanded through mergers and acquisitions.
“China News Weekly” quoted a doctor close to Changfeng Hospital who pointed out that Changfeng Hospital suffered serious losses during the epidemic. In recent years, it has continued to admit and treat disabled elderly who cannot take care of themselves. Inconvenient movement, exacerbated the difficulty of fire escape.
The doctor also said that as a private secondary hospital, there are many large public third-level hospitals within three kilometers of Changfeng Hospital. To survive in the cracks of these large hospitals, Changfeng Hospital has its own strategy, and will invite some Beijing public hospitals. Well-known experts from the hospital came to the clinic.
