‘Heartless’ China influencer says Gansu deadly quake was 800km away and ‘nothing to do with her’ faces ongoing criticism despite apology
- Online personality tries to argue she was unaware of details of tragedy before live-stream session
- She makes public apology and donation after fierce backlash
An online influencer who mocked the devastating 6.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Gansu on December 18 is facing a wave of backlash, and her video has been viewed 8.55 million times and received over 5,100 comments.
The 20-year-old woman, Dong Shixuan, from Fujian province in southeast China, started a live-stream for her three million followers at about 1pm on November 19 in which she tried to explain why she was not donating money to relief efforts.
“What does this tragedy have to do with me?”
She further said: “The Gansu earthquake was 800 to 1,000km from where I live.”
The earthquake killed 134 people and left nearly 1,000 others injured, with 13 people still missing. It also caused immense property damage that will require significant effort and resources to rebuild.
After her remark, followers flooded her comments section with criticisms, but the woman kept asking: “What does the earthquake have to do with me?”