#2 At the junction of Shunyi and Tongzhou in Beijing, there were multiple huge explosions in the early morning of Sept 19th. The fire illuminates the sky, and thick smoke billows straight into the sky. Many local people were awakened by the explosion, and a large number of netizens posted messages on Weibo, saying that there were more than 100 fire trucks rushing to help and helicopters hovering in the air. However, almost all related posts were deleted, and the official emphasized that there were no casualties.
In the early morning of September 19, a large number of messages from Beijing netizens appeared on Weibo, saying that a serial explosion occurred near Beijing Shunyi International Airport at about 12 in the morning. Netizens said that more than 100 fire trucks and 120 ambulances rushed to the explosion site. There were many helicopters in the sky.
Soon after the explosion, almost all Weibo related posts were deleted. The Chinese Communist Party officials did not immediately report the incident. It was not until noon on the 19th that the Political and Legal Committee of the Tongzhou District Party Committee and the Tongzhou District Comprehensive Management Office released the news, stating that a yard in Gangbei Village, Songzhuang Town, Tongzhou District had stored a large number of “gas cans” which caused explosions. The official also emphasized that there were no casualties, but it was questioned by many netizens.
The timing of the explosion is sensitive due to the Chinese Communist Party’s national day celebration on Oct 1. The capital city Beijing is already on high alert for the upcoming “celebration”. |