A bus transporting people to a COVID-19 quarantine center in China overturned, killing at least 27 people, Chinese state media reported.
Another 20 people were injured in the crash in the pre-dawn hours Sunday near Guiyang, the capital of the southwestern Guizhou province, Guiyang Deputy Mayor Lin Gang told state-run broadcaster CCTV.
There was no information as to what caused the crash.
Lin said officials were “extremely remorseful” about the incident and COVID-19 procedures would be examined in light of the crash.
The incident ignited a hot debate on Chinese social media app WeChat about whether the government’s aggressive policing of COVID-19’s spread was to blame.
“Actually, 1.4 billion people are all on this same bus, the bus of Covid prevention and control,” one popular comment said in reference to China’s total population.
The Chinese Communist Party has adopted a “zero COVID” approach to the virus, which involves sudden lockdowns of places such as offices and retail businesses once a close contact with a COVID-19-positive person is reported.
“Great job, Guiyang!” another WeChat comment read. “Zero Covid at the cost of 27 lives.”
China continues to have a stringent approach to the virus as most other nations have relaxed their most restrictive COVID-19-related protocols.
For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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