The Communist Party Propoganda Department sent out clear instructions for Chinese media on how to cover the fatal Wenzhou train crash. Media outlets were supposed to focus on "stories that are extremely moving, for example people donating blood and taxi drivers not accepting fares."

We were surprised to see an article on a popular Chinese web portal about a man who lost most of his family in the crash and who led a protest over bungled rescue operations.

Soon after it was posted, the original article was taken down by the Chinese government.

A translation of this article appeared on the blog ChinaSMACK. Here's the article they don't want you to read:

Man mobilizes over 200 friends and relatives to search for pregnant wife, calling into question [official] rescue efforts

In the high-speed train derailment accident, Yang Feng’s mother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, wife, and his unborn child all died. On the 25th, Yang Feng donned mourning attire, and mobilized over 200 friends and relatives to search for his family as well as questioned the rescue efforts of the relevant departments.

Morning, Yang Feng and cousin began their search with the train cars on the ground, be found nothing. Then he climbed a ladder up onto the bridge and to get past many obstacles, he smashed through many glass windows, shouting “Chen Bi, Chen Bi!” His wife should be wearing a watch around her wrist, and a diamond wedding ring on her finger, both were things he was looking for. However, all the way up till 11am the next day, Yang Feng still not found anything.

Yang Feng used the phone to mobilize over 200 relatives and friends to help him search the various major hospitals in Wenzhou. Though he has not yet found his wife, his three relatives have already been confirmed to have died in the disaster. The fortunate thing is that his father-in-law had complained that the train was too slow and had gotten up to walk about before the accident happened, and escaped the disaster by virtue of being in the aisle.

It turned out that the #16 traincar that Yang Feng’s wife Chen Bi had been a passenger on was severely hit, she was disfigured, and as a result was unable to be identified.

Afternoon of the 25th, bad news confirmed. In the accident, Yang Feng’s mother-in-law, sister-in-law, niece, wife, and his unborn child all dead.

Afternoon of the 25th, Yang Feng appeared at the Wenzhou City 23 Middle Arrangements Site, wearing mourning attire. He says when he arrived at the accident site at 2am in the early morning of the 24th, “rescue efforts had been stopped, they said there were no signs of life”. However, the remains of his wife and mother-in-law were not found until the afternoon of the 24th, “My wife (at the time) was there below, why didn’t they rescue her?” Because his wife was unfortunately disfigured, Yang Feng tearfully asked: “Is this from the impact, or from the excavators?”

Yang Feng also said that just after the rescuers at the scene announced that there were no signs of life within the train cars, a little girl was found alive. If the rescue efforts had continued at the time, could his wife or other passengers still be alive today? A relative of Yang Feng said that they can do without the compensation but they request that the truth be restored and that they be given an explanation.

Yang Feng in mourning attire demanding an explanation.



