Chinese News 2007 Billboard

　　　Chinese News 2007 Billboard

On August 13, 2008, there was a horrific accident
on the Dixi Bridge on the Phoenix Expressway in Hunan Province,
which was henceforth called 813 accident,
a normal practice for a serious accident.
The local official newspaper, of course, would run on the first page
at lower bottom right or left column which is kept for news
not directly related with or directed from the Central Government.
On August 16, a news item reported that an old man named Liu Kangshen,
the old father of one victim Liu Laping, came from his countryside home
to send a silk banner on which is written “warm service, public servant”
to Director Long Taoying of Bureau of Personnel of Phoenix County.
From this, people read of the accident which must be serious
as it not only ran on the first page but also took the government's notice.
On the following day, the paper continued reporting on the accident,
which must be, to the people, very serious,
as people were informed that by August 17
there have been four silk banners sent by the relatives of victims
to the County Committee and Government
to express gratitude for their excellence in redressing the accident.
The newspaper had never mentioned the number of the casualties,
no mention of the investigation of the causes,
no mention of the builders or designers of the bridge….

There is no p.s. of the news items, and I would attach one here.
The nonstandard news about the accident is that on August 13
when workers were dissembling the scaffolds of the almost completed bridge
which was scheduled to open to traffic by the end of August,
the bridge suddenly collapsed into pieces, leaving
88 survived, 22 injured and 64 dead.