This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/28/china-tiananmen-square-crash-beijing

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Three killed in China's Tiananmen Square as jeep crashes into crowd Five killed in China's Tiananmen Square as jeep crashes into crowd
(about 4 hours later)
Three people were killed and 11 injured when a jeep ploughed through a crowd, crashed and caught fire in central Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the site of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989. Five people were killed and dozens injured when a jeep ploughed through a crowd, crashed and caught fire in central Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the site of a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989.
Police evacuated and sealed off the square, which lies across a broad thoroughfare from the main gate of the Forbidden City, soon after the vehicle crashed at around noon on Monday. A police officer at its north-east corner told a crowd of flustered tourists that there was an "activity" in the square and that it would be closed indefinitely. Police evacuated and sealed off the square, which lies across a broad thoroughfare from the main gate of the Forbidden City, soon after the vehicle crashed at around midday on Monday. A police officer at its north-east corner told a crowd of flustered tourists that there was an "activity" in the square and that it would be closed indefinitely.
Three people in the jeep – a driver and two passengers – died in the crash, according to Xinhua, China's official newswire. The 11 injured people, who included "many tourists and police on duty" according to Xinhua, have been taken to nearby hospitals. The reasons for the crash are still unknown. Three people in the jeep, the driver and two passengers, died in the crash, according to the official Xinhua newswire. A female tourist from the Philippines and a man from southern Guandgdong province were also killed.
Pictures of the crash were posted online but quickly deleted by internet censors. One showed the charred shell of a four-wheel-drive engulfed in flames on the pedestrian walkway between the square and the Forbidden City, below a large portrait of Mao Zedong. Another one, taken at a distance, showed a plume of grey smoke rising above the historic imperial palace's high red walls. Of the 38 people injured in the incident, several were tourists from the Philippines and Japan. The cause of the crash, and the reasons behind it, are still unknown.
A young European woman living in Beijing said she had witnessed the aftermath of the crash as she left a nearby underground station at a quarter past noon. "What I immediately saw was a man on the ground, in his mid-60s. He didn't look like he was from the city – quite rural, maybe," she said. "He was unconscious, potentially not alive any more – very pale and discoloured. His head and his upper body were in a pool of blood." Pictures of the crash were posted online but quickly deleted by internet censors. One showed the charred shell of a four-wheel-drive vehicle engulfed in flames on the pavement between the square and the Forbidden City, below a large portrait of Mao Zedong. Another, taken at a distance, showed a plume of grey smoke rising above the high red walls of the historic imperial palace.
She added: "A couple of metres further, there was a woman sitting on the ground who was conscious, and she was bent over and clutching her left thigh. And I could see that she was bleeding a lot." A young European woman living in Beijing said she had witnessed the aftermath of the crash as she left a nearby underground station shortly after midday. "What I immediately saw was a man on the ground, in his mid-60s. He didn't look like he was from the city, quite rural, maybe," she said. "He was unconscious, potentially not alive any more, very pale and discoloured. His head and his upper body were in a pool of blood.
The woman, who did not witness the crash itself, said a fire engine, an ambulance and a police car had sped past her as she walked away from the square. "I walked on a bit, and then saw a civilian and a security guard rushing towards the unconscious man on the ground," she said. "It looked like the civilian man was crying – he was really distressed." "A couple of metres further, there was a woman sitting on the ground who was conscious. She was bent over and clutching her left thigh, and I could see that she was bleeding a lot."
Tiananmen Square has been one of China's most politically sensitive locations since 4 June 1989, when People's Liberation Army soldiers fired on unarmed pro-democracy protesters, killing hundreds. The woman, who did not witness the crash itself, said a fire engine, an ambulance and a police car had sped past her as she walked away from the square. "I walked on a bit, and then saw a civilian and a security guard rushing towards the unconscious man on the ground," she said. "It looked like the civilian man was crying. He was really distressed."
The square – now a popular tourist site – is flecked with security cameras and closely watched by scattered crowds of uniformed and plainclothes security agents. Tiananmen Square has been one of China's most politically sensitive locations since 4 June 1989, when People's Liberation Army soldiers fired on unarmed pro-democracy protesters, killing hundreds of people.
Two reporters from Agence France-Presse were detained on the scene "with images deleted from their digital equipment", the newswire reported. A BBC team was also briefly detained, according to a tweet by one of the agency's reporters. The square, now a popular tourist site, is dotted with security cameras and closely watched by scattered crowds of uniformed and plainclothes security agents.
Within minutes of the crash, authorities erected high blue and green barriers around the site and temporarily blocked roads leading to the square. Transport authorities posted to their microblog that the underground station on Tiananmen's east side had been closed. Two reporters from Agence France Presse were detained on the scene "with images deleted from their digital equipment", the newswire reported. A BBC team was also briefly detained, according to a tweet by one of the corporation's reporters.
Within minutes of the crash, authorities erected high blue and green barriers around the site and temporarily blocked roads leading to the square. Transport authorities posted to their microblog that the underground station on Tiananmen's east side had also been closed.
By late afternoon, the wreckage had been cleared and parts of the square reopened.By late afternoon, the wreckage had been cleared and parts of the square reopened.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.