On May 18, a loading machine collision incident occurred in Qujing City, Yunnan Province, with 10 reported casualties, according to mainland Chinese media. However, local netizens have claimed that the scene was extremely tragic, with some saying there were at least 29 casualties, while others mentioned around 37 casualties. Due to official information lockdown, the specific number of casualties cannot be confirmed at the moment.
According to reports from Upstream News on May 21, on the morning of the 18th, in Dalongtan Village, Majie Town, Lujiang County, Qujing City, a loading machine incident resulted in casualties. As of 4 p.m. that day, 6 people had died, with 4 injured – one severely and three lightly.
Local residents near the incident site said it was a downhill slope with a small vegetable market where many people bought and sold vegetables. The loading machine collided with the crowd. The residents mentioned that the speed of the loading machine was not fast, and it is unclear how it hit the crowd.
Government officials from Majie Town responded that specific details would need to be communicated to higher authorities. However, attempts to contact relevant officials from Lujiang County Committee did not receive a response at the time of reporting.
The incident sparked discussions online, with many netizens stating, “The first report was from The Paper, but it has been deleted, covered up.” “There is no information on Douyin (TikTok), the local control is done quite well.” “The fewer the words, the more severe the situation.”
Some netizens questioned, “How did a loading machine cause so many casualties?” “Was it intentional or accidental?” “Retaliation?” “Why was the incident on the 18th reported today?”
One netizen from Yunnan boldly stated, “News dare not report, 7 dead, around 30 injured.” Another mentioned, “Actually, 9 died, with over 20 injured.” “The scene was extremely tragic.”
Another netizen from Yunnan revealed, “It seems like the brakes failed. It was on a big slope, and there was a market there.”