The city of Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, has seen protests over a devastating fire angering residents of the city, which has been in lockdown for 100 days due to the upsurge of the Corona virus.
An apartment fire killed 10 people on Thursday, as it took firefighters more than two-and-a-half hours to contain it, according to a report published by the newspaper. Wall Street Journal.
The fire incident, amid the city’s lockdown, angered residents, who posted criticism on social networks, as video clips showed fire vehicles waiting to clear roadblocks set up to close the road. city due to Corona.
Urumqi officials said at a press conference on Friday that rescue workers had to remove some barriers, but the delay was due to the large number of cars parked in the residential complex.
Some residents said on social media that “electric cars that were parked for a while prevented fire brigade vehicles from entering a narrow street”, as these cars were no longer charged with electricity due to the long closing period.
And video clips that were said to belong to the burnt apartment in Urumqi have been circulating.
The fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the last screams of the residents who were burned alive, the other residents could only stand at the window and watch, because everyone was locked in the house.#TheGreatTranslationMovement pic.twitter.com/Fr1gyrpPsa
— The official account of the Great Translation Movement (@TGTM_Official) November 25, 2022
This is the second deadly fire in China in recent days: A fire at a factory in central China’s Anyang city killed 38 this week, according to Reuters.
“The line before life and death may just be a fire because no one can escape this blockade,” the newspaper said, quoting a resident on Weibo.
Users shared clips on Chinese social networks showing protesters chanting “lift the lockdown” and users claimed they were killed on Friday, but these clips were later deleted by some Chinese platforms.
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A massive protest has occurred in Ulumuqi, Xinjiang, China after more than 100 days of a zero-covid city lockdown.
People sing “stop the blockade” “we are human beings” pic.twitter.com/trQhDSZLXr
— Badiucao Bad ї ucao (@badiucao) November 25, 2022
The newspaper’s report indicated that since early August, Chinese authorities have begun issuing lockdown orders to Xinjiang residents, preventing them from leaving their homes, cutting off transportation, and some tourists in the city also they are found trapped and unable to leave.
The governments of Xinjiang and Urumqi did not respond to the paper’s requests for comment.
A state of frustration prevails among the public and business owners in China as coronavirus restrictions tighten, in light of a new record rise in HIV infections on Friday, after weeks of rising hopes for procedures to be eased. according to a report by Reuters.
The sharp increase in daily infections in China has prompted widespread lockdowns, as well as other restrictions on movement and business activities. Yesterday, Thursday, China recorded 32.6 thousand new infections, with many cities declaring an outbreak of the disease within them.
With more residents affected by the closure measures, some of them have started making alternative proposals for coexistence in their areas of residence. And in Beijing, residents of some housing estates have exchanged suggestions on messaging app WeChat that infected neighbors could be quarantined in their homes as long as they don’t show severe symptoms. However, it was unclear whether these suggestions could be implemented.
The cities of Guangzhou in the south and Chongxing in the southwest have seen record increases in injuries, and Beijing, Chengdu, Jinan, Lanzhou, Xi’an and Wuhan have reported hundreds of new infections daily.
