12 are arrested after a Beijing hospital fire killed 29 people
NPR Online NewsNov 26, 2022
The Facts
The death toll has climbed to 29 following a fire at a private Beijing hospital. Initial investigations point to the cause of the inferno being the ignition of flammable paint materials used during the renovation of the facility.
The fire broke out at around 1pm local time on Tuesday at Beijing’s Changfeng hospital, with social media videos showing smoke clouds surrounding the building and people desperately climbing out of windows and using bedsheets to lower themselves down from higher floors.
The Spin
Anti-China narrative
China’s censorship continues to spark outrage as details about Beijing’s deadliest fire in years went unreported for nearly eight hours. The Chinese censorship machine blocked videos of the tragedy and withheld details from victims' family members. The people of China should not have to face these sorts of delays around major news stories but, unfortunately, the Chinese government seems more concerned with controlling the narrative than it is with addressing national emergencies.
Pro-China narrative
China is committed to the safety and wellbeing of its citizens above all, which is why China’s National Health Commission sent an expert team to guide the treatment of those injured in the Beijing hospital fire. Information on the story continues to emerge, but Chinese officials are ready to do whatever it takes to help those affected and to effectively determine the causes of this tragic incident.
