How China's censorship machine worked to block news of deadly attack

Deadly car attack in Zhuhai, China kills 35, sparking social media censorship and delayed official response.

At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man ploughed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday (November 11, 2024) night.

Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only "injuries".

It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died -- in one of the country's deadliest incidents in years.

China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed sensitive to be removed -- sometimes within minutes.

On X-like social media platform Weibo, videos and photos showing the bloody moments after the incident late Monday night were swiftly deleted.

Videos of the aftermath posted to Xiaohongshu, China's equivalent to Instagram, were also taken down.

Chinese officials did not reveal that dozens had died until almost 24 hours after the attack, with state media reporting the 35 deaths shortly after 6:30 pm on Tuesday.