You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Wuhan residents estimate region's coronavirus death toll much higher than reported
2020-03-30
[Washington Examiner] Some residents in Wuhan, China, believe the region's death toll is likely at least 20 times higher than numbers reported by the government.

"It can't be right," a Wuhan resident told Radio Free Asia on Friday. "The incinerators have been working round the clock, so how can so few people have died?"

He added, "They started distributing ashes and starting interment ceremonies on Monday."

Officially, there have been around 3,000 deaths in the Hubei province where Wuhan is located, but residents think the total is more likely 42,000-47,000.

They have estimated that the seven funeral homes in the Wuhan area are giving out 3,500 urns each day. Another calculation estimated the capacity for each funeral home in cremating people. Both estimates have led them to conclude that likely over 40,000 people have died in the area.

"Maybe the authorities are gradually releasing the real figures, intentionally or unintentionally, so that people will gradually come to accept the reality," a resident in the area named Mao said, adding that most people in Wuhan believe the 40,000 death toll number.

Another source said there are people who have died in their houses, but they were never treated for the coronavirus.

"Every funeral home reports data on cremations directly to the authorities twice daily," the source said. "This means that each funeral home only knows how many cremations it has conducted, but not the situation at the other funeral homes."

Bloomberg News also noted that shipments and stacks of urns in Wuhan have sparked questions about the coronavirus death toll in the area.

Accurate figures are hard to come by in China as the country has kicked out every U.S. journalist during the crisis. Officially, the country has fewer cases of the coronavirus than the United States.

Related: PJ - 5,000 Urns Shipped to Funeral Homes in Wuhan Raise Questions about China's True Death Toll
Posted by:Besoeker

#8  Have the air pollution numbers gone back up again over China?
Posted by: James   2020-03-30 18:35  

#7  What about those heat signature satellite pictures that implied that the crematoria were working overtime?

They still doing that?


"Every funeral home reports data on cremations directly to the authorities twice daily," the source said. "This means that each funeral home only knows how many cremations it has conducted, but not the situation at the other funeral homes."


How about the carbon footprint?
Posted by: AlanC   2020-03-30 13:19  

#6  I can't believe that China, having lied its commie ass off about the when, where and how many, would continue to disseminate incorrect information. INCONCEIVABLE!

(here is the /sarc tag if anyone needs it)
Posted by: SteveS   2020-03-30 12:49  

#5  Careful, 'News from Nurses' you know.
Posted by: Skidmark   2020-03-30 12:01  

#4  kicked out every U.S. journalist during the crisis.

Some might see that as having no actual downside.
Posted by: Besoeker   2020-03-30 09:01  

#3  Accurate figures are hard to come by in China as the country has kicked out every U.S. journalist during the crisis.

I don't see the correlation there.
Posted by: Matt   2020-03-30 08:59  

#2  Advisors to British PM: True Number of Coronavirus Cases in China Could be ’15 to 40′ Times Higher – Report
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2020-03-30 03:37  

#1  Eh?
Posted by: Skidmark   2020-03-30 03:21  

00:00