The fact that the official statements are decisively false is a gotcha yes. Why would you trust the rest of the reporting and official story when you know they lied about basic things like this. What makes you think that the number they throw around is anywhere close to reality when they can’t even tell you where the events happen?
It’s not like China even denies that people died.
You can look at the pictures I linked too, plenty of dead people in them. These are available from the Chinese state.