Villagers Loot Laundry Detergent After Chongqing Truck Accident

From NetEase (1 & 2):

Cargo truck has tire blowout on Chongqing highway, villagers loot the goods

February 10th, a large cargo truck laundry detergent worth millions blew out a tire in Qijiang county of Chongqing, drove through the center divider, and stopped on the other side of the road, the cargo on the truck scattered all over the ground. After the villagers near the highway found out, one after another they rushed onto the highway to loot the scattered goods.

Just as the two drivers were waiting for highway law enforcement to arrive and handle the situation, the villagers that lived near the highway found out and one after another rushed onto the highway to loot the scattered products, angering the two lightly injured drivers into shouting: “Taking advantage of others’ misfortune…”

The driver said he called the police after the accident, but only the Chongqing highway enforcement personnel came to handle the traffic accident, and no police arrived to stop the looting.

Comments from NetEase:

网易广东省珠海市网友:

Chongqing cargo truck has a tire blowout on the highway, villagers sing red songs [old communist songs] while looting, what a delightful fiery red scene!

[The “red” alludes to and is poking fun at the “Red Culture” revival promoted by Chongqing Committee Secretary Bo Xilai.]

蓝天的忠诚[网易上海市手机网友]：

I vacationed in Chongqing ten years ago, and had a deep impression of what “an inhospitable land produces wicked people” means.

网易亚太地区网友:

Take a camera and photograph each and every one of them, then give the photos to the distribution company or manufacturer, and let the company or manufacturer come out and organize the lawyers, sue each and every one of them, and then they’ll be made honest. The main reason is Chinese people’s “5000 year tradition of lousy little peasant character, feeling one should take advantage when one can”. Not suing them is because the cost of suing them is too big (for the lawyers, and collecting evidence, etc.), and what more, even if they win, they can’t get much money. Suggest this company and manufacturer can sue the local police department for not doing its job and causing them serious economic loss.

网易四川省成都市手机网友:

Singing red [songs], eyes red [with greed], hands even redder [red-handed].

网易贵州省贵阳市网友:

Can’t read any further, but I want to make a few fair comments:
Those who say this is stealing, you are too irresponsible with your words.
Everyone look closely, the things scattered on the ground are laundry detergent and similar daily necessities. The packaging has already ruined from the fall. These things, even if the villagers didn’t take them, do you think the driver would collect them and take them away?
All of the villagers are sifting through the garbage on the ground. The stuff still intact on the truck is untouched, so villagers picking up some smashed laundry detergent is considered stealing?
If the villagers don’t pick them up, the truck driver would definitely not collect all this garbage, put it in the truck, and take it away. After the truck is fixed and drives away, this garbage is doomed to be swept away.
I trust that the situation was that the cargo was ruined, the driver wasn’t planning on keeping it, the villagers passed by, maybe asked the driver, or even didn’t ask, and then started to pick up stuff. At the very least, the driver didn’t stop them.
Then someone passed by this place, took these photos, and irresponsibly spread them.
I will only talk about the matter at hand, as this has nothing to do with any other aspect of Chongqing.

网易江苏省网友:

When the whole box is being taken away, can it still be called collecting trash?

网易上海市手机网友：

This is the problem of character [the level or quality of the nation’s people].

ljszdzb [网易黑龙江省齐齐哈尔市网友]

In America, they would’ve looted both the truck and the driver too.

888999333 [网易辽宁省大连市网友]：

When can the character of our countrymen be improved!!! So sad!!!

网易天津市网友：

They’re essentially the elderly, the weak, the pregnant, and children. The owner and driver on the side didn’t even try to stop them, and it seems like the owner already doesn’t want the garbage on the ground. From the photos you can see they’re just picking up the garbage that has been abandoned after the accident, not stealing!!!

网易广东省深圳市网友:

If this happened in America or Japan, there wouldn’t be this scene. Can’t you wait until the driver fixes the car and leaves and only go pick up the garbage after its clear they don’t want it? The photographer couldn’t even take photos.

yishenganyi [网易辽宁省大连市网友]:

The people picking up stuff don’t have it easy either, think how dangerous the highway is. Is it worth risking one’s life to pick up some liquid detergent and the like? Truly worth thinking about…

bxszkm [网易北京市网友]:

This is what Chinese people are.

网易北京市网友:

Everything they are stealing will have to be paid for by this driver. He’s already like this, and they hit him while he’s down…

网易安徽省芜湖市网友:

Why would these people be like this? The fundamental reason is because they’re not well off and and are poor. If their material conditions in life were good, does everyone think they would have to go looting?

网易广西玉林市网友:

So you’re saying you’re very well off now, and you depending on looting in the past to become well off?

stomsky137 [网易浙江省舟山市网友]:

How did helping clean up become cleaning up into one’s own bag? This cleaning sure is clean, and they’re even wearing smiles, happy and excited. I’ve never seen people cleaning so happily. Could it be from the singing?

网易黑龙江省哈尔滨市网友:

If what was scattered on the ground were gold bars, do you think they would stand by and let you loot? The people wouldn’t dare loot things of value. It is because these things aren’t worth anything that they feel they can can take them and no one will go after them. It is because it isn’t a big deal that they would loot.