CNN reporter attacked in China
Emotions are running high following the deadly explosion in China that left at least 50 people dead and over 700 injured.
CNN reporter Will Ripley was covering the aftermath blast at a hospital where victims are being treated, when bystanders and security officials swarmed around him. The live skype feed then cut to black.
Ripley wasn't injured but he later tweeted, "Tempers obviously running high after an awful night in #tianjin. I'm fine. A lot of people here aren't..."
Tempers obviously running high after an awful night in #Tianjin. I'm fine. A lot of people here aren't. At least 400 injured & 17 killed.
— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) August 12, 2015
Chinese social media, however, painted a different version of events. Some commenters claimed Ripley was trying to get into the hospital and photograph the dead, but New York Times reporter Andrew Jacobs refutes those claims.
"This is a complete fabrication," he tweeted. "I saw the whole thing unfold. There were no bodies, just a grieving man.
@Yaqiu@niubi@willripleyCNN This is a complete fabrication. I saw the whole thing unfold. There were no bodies, just a grieving man.
— Andrew Jacobs (@AndrewJacobsNYT) August 13, 2015
Jacobs believes the incident at the hospital is related to China's media outlets demonizing western journalists.
Photos of the massive explosion in China:
