In Zhejiang, China, two trains collided recently, resulting in passengers being trapped for over three hours without ventilation. One male passenger broke a window to assist others and himself, but was taken away and scolded by the police, despite being hailed as a hero by other passengers. The question of whether breaking the window was necessary has sparked heated debates on Chinese social media, with official statements being continuously questioned.
The official Weibo account of the China Railway Guangzhou Bureau Changsha Passenger Transport Section released a statement on July 5th regarding the K1373 train being stranded at Dongxiao Station.
According to the report, the incident occurred on the night of July 2nd, with passengers on board the train facing high temperatures due to inadequate ventilation. The authorities stated that although the train was stuffy, the situation did not warrant immediate opening of doors or breaking windows as an emergency measure. However, a male passenger took it upon himself to break a window using a fire safety hammer without authorization, leading to the restoration of air conditioning in the rear cars. Following the train’s stop at Jinhua Station, the railway police criticized the window-breaking man.
On the evening of July 2nd, at Dongxiao Station in Jinhua, Zhejiang, a freight train collided with the K1373 passenger train passing through, causing the K1373 train to be stranded at the station for over three hours.
Videos circulating online showed the interior of the train lacking air conditioning, causing extreme heat with many passengers sweating profusely and experiencing difficulty breathing and dizziness. One passenger said, “So many people can’t bear it, feeling dizzy.”
A young man in black clothing holding an emergency hammer for breaking windows initially tried to communicate with the train staff to open the doors for passengers to get some fresh air. The man in black said to the train staff, “Let us get off, right? Otherwise, I will break the glass.”
When communication failed, the man proceeded to break a window using the hammer. Despite attempts by the staff to stop him, he successfully broke a hole in the glass.
Passengers at the scene chanted, “Good! Good! A hero! A hero!”
After the window was broken, several railway police officers entered the carriage, with one staff member blocking the window to prevent passengers from disembarking. An elderly man requested the police to break the glass on the other side to allow air circulation but received no response.
Upon the K1373 train’s arrival at Jinhua Station, multiple railway staff inspected the broken window, and the man in black who broke the window was taken away by the police.
Regarding the incident, the Jinhua Railway Service Department had previously reported that there were no casualties and expressed regret for the inconveniences caused to the passengers.
The arrest of the man who broke the window sparked strong backlash. The Railway Police responded on the 3rd that the man was not detained but received “criticism and education.”
Many netizens questioned why the railway department did not reward the young man for his actions, considering it was a matter of emergency and involved the potential jeopardy of hundreds of lives due to the lack of ventilation.
Reports from Yangzi Evening News and Dahe Daily revealed that passengers interviewed by reporters mentioned being trapped inside the train for over three hours with stagnant air, rising temperatures, and a strong sense of suffocation.
Multiple passengers noted that after the train’s accident and halt, the emergency system onboard seemed to be ineffective or never activated, indicating the inadequacy of the train’s emergency preparedness.
Additionally, a lawyer stated that the man’s actions could be considered as emergency avoidance and should not necessarily result in compensation for damaging public property.
Emergency avoidance refers to taking measures to protect greater benefits, such as public interests, personal safety, and the rights of others, when faced with threats to these interests.
Despite the railway’s further explanation on July 5th, many netizens continued to raise doubts, criticizing the responsibility of the train crew and the lack of appropriate actions taken during the three-hour stoppage, especially regarding the lack of breathable conditions inside the carriages.
The incident in Zhejiang recalls the subway Line 5 flooding accident in Zhengzhou in July 2021, where official reports initially stated 14 fatalities and 5 injuries, which raised concerns about the accuracy of the numbers. A survivor, using the pseudonym Wang Jun, told the media outlet that although he escaped unscathed that day, he regretted not breaking the windows early on, leading to some people suffering from oxygen deprivation and asphyxiation.