Clips published on social media in China appear to show new protests against Covid regulations in the wake of a 10-person apartment fire.
Demonstrators were captured on film confronting officials, destroying a barrier, and shouting “End the Covid lockdown!”
Beijing continues to pursue a zero-Covid policy despite record infection rates and escalating public outrage.
Authorities in Urumqi have refuted reports that restrictions prevented people from fleeing Thursday’s fire.
Since early August, the capital of the western Xinjiang region has been subject to restrictions.
One tenant told that residents of the fire-ravaged complex were generally banned from leaving their houses.
Chinese state-run media has rejected this claim. However, Urumqi authorities issued an unusual apology late Friday, promising to punish those who had abandoned their duties.
Friday night footage showed residents, many of whom were wearing face masks, gathering on the city’s streets after dark.
They were observed yelling, fist-pumping, and arguing with officials. The location was confirmed by the news agency Reuters.
In one clip, a protester yells through a megaphone, and in another, a crowd breaks through a barrier patrolled by city employees wearing protective gear.
China’s internet is extensively monitored, and by Saturday morning, most references to the Urumqi protests had been removed.
Local media reported Thursday’s fatal fire at the Urumqi apartment building, which also injured nine others, was likely caused by an electrical extension malfunction.
Covid limits may have impeded firefighting efforts, according to online discussions.
Late on Friday, city officials refuted this, claiming that parked vehicles prevented firefighters from reaching the blazing building.
Protests are uncommon in China, but public opposition to Beijing’s zero-Covid campaign is growing.
This is the last policy of its kind among the world’s major economies, and it is in part a result of the country’s relatively low vaccination rates and efforts to safeguard the elderly.
Recent violent demonstrations have occurred from Zhengzhou to Guangzhou in response to sudden lockdowns and broader Covid restrictions.
Despite the strict efforts, China’s case numbers this week reached all-time highs since the beginning of the pandemic.
Various Uyghurs reside in the Xinjiang region, against whom the Chinese government has been accused of committing numerous violations of human rights, which Beijing denies.
