Posts reporting a fire near Tiananmen Square this afternoon are emerging and being quickly deleted off of Weibo, with users speculating that the flames are the result of a self-immolation incident



These photos were posted to Weibo by user @Jing_oppa, who wrote that the images appear to show a car on fire with a person still inside (h/t @hancocktom).





Another user posted this photo of the flame’s smoke rising from the distance.



The last self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square took place in 2011 but went unreported by Chinese media.

Fire extinguishers are routinely dotted around Tiananmen Sq in case of self-immolations. Took this last month: pic.twitter.com/IQxtpRHaSS — Mark Stone (@Stone_SkyNews) October 28, 2013



Update (2:00 pm):

Reuters has reported that the area of the fire is being evacuated, but still no details about the source have been confirmed.

The Communist Party’s official People’s Daily said on its website that a car had caught fire. Xinhua news agency, in a brief dispatch in English said that “a motor vehicle went into the crowd”.

Neither gave details.

Beijing police, reached by telephone, said they had no information. The Beijing government, also reached by telephone, said it did not know what had happened.

The Reuters witness said he saw fire engines, an ambulance and numerous police cars heading in the direction of the fire, which sent a plume of black smoke into the sky. The main road through the square was closed.

A foreign tourist near the scene who asked not to be identified told the report that she heard an explosion followed by a fire.

Update (2:13 pm):

Xinhua News Agency is now reporting that it was a jeep which crashed into railings, and all three passengers (including the driver) are now confirmed dead. Multiple bystanders were also injured. Police were able to extinguish the fire immediately.

A driver, 2 passengers confirmed dead after a jeep went into crowd and caught fire in front of Tian'anmen Rostrum Beijing Monday noon — Xinhua News Agency (@XHNews) October 28, 2013



Update (4:01 pm):

From the Daily Telegraph’s Beijing correspondent Malcolm Moore:

Just did a drive-by, police swat teams lining the scene, one officer every ten feet below Mao's portrait. — malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) October 28, 2013

BJ govn't says six ambulances were sent to Tiananmen Sq after the jeep crash — malcolmmoore (@MalcolmMoore) October 28, 2013



Update (7:00 pm):

Xinhua updates death toll to five, 38 others injured.

Five people died and 38 were injured after a jeep crashed into crowds and caught fire outside Tian'anmen rostrum in Beijing on Monday. — Xinhua News Agency (@XHNews) October 28, 2013



Update (8:01 pm):

Details of foreign casualties just in from SouthCN.com: 1 female Filipino tourist dead, another 3 Filipino tourists (2 female, 1 male) injured, 1 male Japanese tourist injured. All other casualties from the current toll (5 dead, 38 injured) Chinese nationals.

Update (9:11 pm):

Watch this report from CCTV International:



Update (23:58 pm):

Raw video from AFP shortly after the car crash:

