On the afternoon of October 29th, many residents in Qinhuangdao City began coughing, suspecting a gas leak. Authorities claimed to have found the cause but as of the morning of October 30th, they have not made it public, only advising to reduce outdoor activities, sparking skepticism among the public.
In the afternoon of October 29th, local netizens reported that the air in the Development Zone and Harbor District of Qinhuangdao City was pungent, resembling the smell of spicy noodles. This topic surged on hot search on the morning of October 30th.
Local netizens took to forums to give feedback and express their doubts:
“The air in Qinhuangdao has a pungent smell, people on the streets are covering their noses, and family members are experiencing sore and itchy throats, constantly coughing. What’s going on?”
“Coordinates at Qinhuangdao Development Zone, has anyone else noticed the irritating smell, making our throats feel spicy? Does anyone know what’s happening? Children are continuously sneezing and coughing, with runny noses.”
“Burning paper? Beijing has been like this for the past two days, really annoying.”
“If it’s just burning paper, then we wouldn’t be worried.”
“I knew there would be some story in Hebei whenever there’s haze in Beijing during the weekend.”
“Close the windows, turn on the air conditioner for ventilation, open air purifiers and humidifiers, if that doesn’t work, quickly jump in the car and leave.”
“School let out early here, as I was collecting homework in the last class, as soon as I stepped out the back door, my throat felt irritated, and I thought I was catching a cold, only to find out everyone in my class was coughing.”
“Take care of yourself, I thought I was catching a cold, but then my dad went downstairs and saw pedestrians on the street covering their mouths and coughing.”
“Maybe a steel plant exploded, we had a similar situation here some time ago, nothing serious, doesn’t affect one’s health, just unpleasant.”
“What’s the situation but the authorities haven’t given a response yet. Since the 29th afternoon, everyone has been experiencing nasal irritation and coughing, and as of the morning of the 30th, the government hasn’t explained anything to the people. Calling 12345 is useless, they don’t care if people live or die.”
“At first, people thought it was just a normal gas leak…”
“The southwest area is affected, it’s suffocating.”
“After class just now at East University, there were coughs echoing at the entrance of the teaching building, even in the late classes. Just heard that there’s a harmful gas leak in Qinhuangdao Development Zone, what gas is it, what caused it, why are chemical companies located in residential areas confounding nearby residents and several universities’ faculty and students with severe coughing fits, unclear as to why chemical enterprises are established in downtown areas.”
A netizen posted a video saying that it took her six minutes from work to home, and found it extremely uncomfortable, her throat intensely dry, she drank four bowls of water. She questioned why the authorities haven’t disclosed the cause yet.
On the evening of the 29th, the media outlet Dahe Daily released a video report stating that staff from the 12345 government service hotline in Qinhuangdao City responded saying that they haven’t received a reply from the relevant departments yet, actively verifying the situation with the Harbor District and Development Zone Management Committee in Qinhuangdao City, suggesting to follow official information for updates.
The Qinhuangdao City Ecology and Environment Bureau told reporters that they have dispatched personnel to verify the situation, identified the cause, but as duty officers, they don’t currently have specific details on the cause.
As of 10 a.m. on October 30th, the authorities have not reported the cause. Netizens questioned, with such a significant event, the lack of reporting is unbelievable, the government is really something!