SHANGHAI, Jan 1: At least 35 people, including 25 women, were killed and 48 others injured in a stampede during New Year revelry at Shanghai’s iconic waterfront area, one of the worst tragedies to hit China in recent years.
The crowd crush happened at about 11:35 PM (local time) when people rushed to see a live show at a small crowded place in the city’s popular riverfront Bund area, police said.
Witnesses said a large number of people rushed upstairs while those already there began moving down through narrow steps. An injured person said, as a result, those moving up fell down causing a huge pile of people that led to heavy casualties.
Some witnesses also said the stampede took place when some coupons which resembled “dollar bills” were thrown from a building’s third-floor window near the Bund.
Witness Wu Tao said some coupons were being thrown from a building’s third-floor window near the Bund and people standing along the river bank started to scramble for those coupons.
The coupon looked like a USD 100 banknote with “M18” printed in the middle, a reference to the bar of the same name on the Bund. Phone calls to the bar were immediately hung up after getting through, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Some people on social networking websites said they found pictures of the bar owner showing off those coupons before the incident. But the blogger, who called herself “Chaojidadadashabao_MissShen” on the Sina Weibo, denied she threw away any coupons.
People standing along the river bank started to scramble for these coupons, the report said.
The stampede left 35 people dead and 48 others injured, the city government information office said. There are 25 female among the deceased whose ages range from 16 to 36, the Shanghai daily reported.
Most of the injured suffered fractures and the condition of 14 of the injured was said to be serious. A majority of the injured are youths of about 20 years old with many of them being female. There are also college students and children among the injured.
Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and called for proper treatment of the injured. Such incidents during celebrations should be prevented, he said in a message.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said safety for public places, particularly during holidays should be ensured.
Li called for making “every effort” to reduce injury- related deaths and consoling relatives of the victims of the stampede.
Strict precautions should be taken against major incidents and public safety and social stability should be ensured, Li said.
The stampede began when a large number of people tried to move up to the riverfront esplanade were blocked, according to witnesses. Those who fell were trampled on by others in panic.
“We were pushed forward by a huge crowd behind us,” a witness surnamed Zong from Xiamen was quoted as saying.
“We didn’t want to move forward toward the riverfront area, but we had no choice. Suddenly a crowd from the front began to push us back. We fell down and we were among layers of people buried,” Zong said.
“I only managed to keep my head above the pile of bodies, and I began to feel numbness in my legs. Several minutes later, police pulled us off one another, one by one. It was so terrible. A friend of mine went missing,” he said.
Earlier, police cancelled a live show at the sprawling Bund, a colourful riverfront which attracts thousands of people, for safety reasons. Instead it was allowed in a small building. The show attracted over three lakh people last year.
Many who were not aware of the cancellation rushed to the place. Most of those who were present last night were reported to be students who went there to celebrate the New Year, state-run CCTV reported.
Even on normal days the Bund is a huge attraction as it springs to life during nights with dozens of large decorated steamers up and down the river. Thousands of tourists visit it every day.
“The steps leading to the platform were full of people. Some wanted to get down and some wanted to go up,” a witness surnamed Yin was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
“We were caught in the middle and saw some girls falling while screaming. Then people started to fall down, row by row,” she said.
The woman said she covered two kids in front of her with arms in the chaos. Her own son followed her.
“When we brought him out of the crowd, his forehead bruising, two deep-creased scars on his neck, and his mouth and nose all bleeding,” said the teary-eyed mother.
Dirty shoe prints were seen on the clothes of her son after the 12-year-old boy escaped the crowd.
“The crowds were in panic. We stood in the crowd, feeling squeezed almost out of breath,” another witness surnamed Yu said. “Some yelled for help but the noise was too loud.”
Other survivors said police rushed the scene and tried to pull out people stuck in but generally failed.
Yu Ping, another eyewitness, said, “We just were passing by the square. There was a huge crowd, and we were pushed forward and didn’t know where to go. Police ordered us to move back, but we were unable to move. That lasted for about 10 minutes.”
“Some girls, including my friend Luo Dali, fainted and fell on the ground. I tried to protect her head from the stampede. It was an unbelievable nightmare. We managed to get a policeman to help us call an ambulance,” Yu said.
Luo remains in serious condition at Shanghai No.1 People’s Hospital. Her parents, who live in Anhui Province, were notified and are en route to Shanghai.
One photo from the scene shared on Weibo, akin to Twitter in China, showed at least one person trying to resuscitate victims lying on the ground amid debris. Another photo showed the area ringed by police blocking huge crowds.
Television footage showed moving scenes with a number of panicked women struggling to catch their breath and some in semi-conscious state being helped by police and relatives. (PTI)
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