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The train crash heard around the world
The train crash heard around the world
Chinese netizens turn to social media after the government filters coverage of the Wenzhou train collision.
On July 23, a high-speed train crash killed 40 and injured 191 near Wenzhou in eastern China. One of the first sources of information about the crash was the Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo, including one initial post from someone who is alleged to be a survivor of the crash. According to the paper China Daily, that first post was reposted 100,000 times in just ten hours.
The government issued a blackout to media companies within the country and played down the event but people online have been angered by the government's attempts to put a damper on the discussion. Additionally, government missteps in the rescue operation led many to doubt the official story.
As people searched for alternate sources of information, online videos of the train wreckage have gone viral. The blog chinaSMACK collected the top five most viewed videos in China about the incident, the highest-viewed of which shows excavators bringing down a suspended train car that would eventually be buried. In the footage, men are seen walking bodies away from the wreckage.
“Railway Ministry” was for many days the number one trending topic on Sina Weibo but was then removed, which ignited even more conversation. User-created images about the train crash have also spread online, including one image that shows Godzilla destroying a train with the caption "I'd rather believe this than the official explanation for the train crash."
These are a few of the elements featured in this segment of The Stream.
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In the wake of the crash, the Chinese government released the following directive to media outlets:
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The mandate is translated below via The Shanghaiist:
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According to leaked directives from the propaganda department on Friday: "All articles on the Wenzhou train collision are to be put off the homepage with immediate effect. None are to be put on the homepage itself. In the news section, only one article may be placed there, but no commentaries are allowed. Promoting the discussion of related topics on forums, blogs and microblogs are not allowed.
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Forum sites are to remove all previously promoted articles and blogposts off from the frontpage and mini-sites immediately. All posts, blogposts and microblog posts that do not meet with the requirements of this afternoon's orders are to be resolutely deleted. All sites are to implement this order with immediate effect, and to complete execution within half an hour. Checks will begin within half an hour."
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Online videos depicting the train wreckage have gone viral.
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The story of a young girl being rescued from the wreckage has resonated with the Chinese public, and the most recent viral video shows the girl calling out to her mother minutes before the crash.
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Online criticism over the Chinese government's handling of the Wenzhou accident pushed the terms "Railway Ministry" to the top of Sina Weibo's trending charts.
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Users have expressed dissatisfaction over the government's conduct.
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Various images are being shared online between Chinese users.
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Translation: I'd rather believe this than the official explanation for the train crash
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Anger over the accident has made its way onto the streets of China, with graffiti appearing around the country.
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Are you witnessing online criticism of the Wenzhou Train Collision on Sina Weibo or other microblogs? Tell The Stream on Facebook and Twitter.
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Thumbnail image: A high speed bullet train runs past a railway bridge past carriage wreckage (below) after two trains crashed and derailed in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province July 25, 2011. [REUTERS/China Daily]
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