The Changfeng Hospital in the Chinese capital, Beijing has been engulfed by fire, and the tragic incident led to the demise of some patients. According to the available information, at least 29 people lost their lives because of the incident. At the same time, other people caught in the middle of the fire were trying to escape the flames by using bedsheets as they were trapped.
In incidents of this kind, it’s not only the flames themselves that are dangerous for the human body. The inhaling of carbon dioxide can also be very toxic. Inhaling too much smoke resulting from a fire can even kill a person. While carbon dioxide is naturally present in the air we breathe, it can replace the oxygen we need to live if it’s accumulating in an enclosed space.
Dozens of people evacuated the hospital caught by the fire
As a result of the fire that broke out on Tuesday afternoon, many people were forcibly evacuated from the hospital. In a desperate attempt to save their lives, some of the hospital’s patients even tried to escape through windows.
The death toll from a fire at a Beijing hospital has risen to at least 29, with some people seen trapped and using bedsheets tied together to escape the flames. https://t.co/FFXQWx7KlE pic.twitter.com/I3KH8q84LL
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 19, 2023
The BBC quotes a Weibo user stating:
What’s shocking is not only the loss of lives, but also the terrible silence of media outlets which were but spectators of the incident. The official announcements we read leave out the enormous grief caused by the disaster,
The media used to serve a watchdog role, to point out social ills. But what about today? What is the media today?
The police even decided to detain a number of 12 persons to find out more about the incident. According to officials speaking at a recent press conference, a first investigation showed that sparks resulting during renovation works might have ignited paint stored on site.
