Woman Buried in Forced Demolition in China

Several thousand people gathered near the scene where a woman, over 70 years old, was buried alive at her home, which had turned into a demolition site.

Mrs. Wang Cuiyun and her family, of Hubei Province in northern China, were preparing to peacefully evacuate their home, which was slated for demolition.

In a tragic turn of events, according to spectators, a demolition workman operating massive excavation equipment dumped a load of dirt onto the woman, burying her alive.

The woman received no help from any of the 20 or 30 workers on site nor from several authorities who were present.

In a frantic effort to save Mrs. Wang’s life, family members rushed to dig her out with their bare hands.

It took over an hour to free her from the rubble, but they were unable to revive her. The cause of her death appeared to be asphyxiation.

Demanding justice for her death, grieving family members then carried the woman’s body toward the highway for others to see.

A male resident said, “Thousands of onlookers came. Traffic was blocked for more than three hours.”

The police sealed off the blocked road. After that, the local government sent anti-riot cars to drive the family away, hauling Mrs. Wang’s body away as well.

Workers Flee the Scene

Sources at the scene revealed that the victim’s family had reached an agreement with the demolition sector the day before the incident. The family was already packed and prepared to move out.

They said that the demolition team began digging ditches around the home with excavation equipment. When Mrs. Wang, Chen’s mother, came out and approached the crew, the excavation workman appeared to deliberately drop dirt from the machinery's shovel onto the woman's head.

Family members knelt on the ground, begging the workers to help rescue her.

Their response, however, was to flee the scene. The family then turned to the police officers, but they refused to cooperate.

Onlookers commented that as Mrs. Wang was being buried, not only did the police not stop the workers, they urged them to leave the scene.

A local woman told an Epoch Times reporter, “Their house was big. They probably did not communicate well with the construction firm, so the firm started to demolish the house before they could get out.”

The woman speculated that if the workers had helped to rescue her right away, she would not have died.

Mr. Chen’s wife told “Jingshi Live TV” (Wuhan TV) that a man struck Mrs. Wang on the head with a stick.

She said she witnessed her mother-in-law falling into a ditch and the excavator dropping a load of dirt onto her.

No Comment From Authorities

An Epoch Times reporter called the local farm office. A staff member said the incident was still under investigation, and that the specific circumstances were unclear. He said his staff members were all out dealing with the matter.

When the police station in Wuhan was contacted, a policeman said, “At present, I have nothing to say. You may continue to follow up on this incident.

"There will be a specific statement [on the matter]. I can’t say anything more.”

An official-in-charge from the local government purportedly went to the scene a few hours later, attempting to resolve the matter in private with the family.

A blogger described the scenes he had seen on TV.

“The workman operating the excavator dug up a shovelful of dirt and held it over the head of the woman, as if to threaten her. Then suddenly the dirt was poured directly down onto the old woman.

“She was completely buried in the dirt. The video then went chaotic. Her sons all ran over and began digging with their bare hands.

“There were at least three police officers standing there, acting as if it was none of their business. They watched as the sons dug through the dirt.

“I saw the police trying to stop the sons from saving the old woman. And then [the sons] were tugging and dragging her out with the police. But it was too late—the old woman had already died.”

Read the original Chinese article: http://epochtimes.com/gb/10/3/4/n2834945.htm