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35 Are Killed in Stampede in Shanghai 35 Are Killed in Stampede in Shanghai
(35 minutes later)
HONG KONG — At least 35 people were killed and 43 injured in a stampede during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Shanghai, the city’s government reported.HONG KONG — At least 35 people were killed and 43 injured in a stampede during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Shanghai, the city’s government reported.
The deaths occurred in the eastern Chinese city’s famous Bund, the riverside area where tens of thousands of people had gathered. The deaths occurred in the eastern city’s famous Bund, the riverside area where tens of thousands had gathered.
The stampede began after 11:35 p.m. in Chen Yi Square, the city said. The exact cause was unclear, but some local news media reported that the release of fliers resembling cash from a nearby building set off a crush of people. The government said the cause was under investigation. The stampede began after 11:35 p.m. in Chen Yi Square, the city said. The exact cause was unclear, but some local news media reported that the release of fliers resembling cash from a nearby building set off a crush of people. President Xi Jinping ordered an immediate investigation, the official Xinhua news service reported.
Images posted online showed huge crowds filling the pedestrian areas along the Huangpu River for a midnight light show.Images posted online showed huge crowds filling the pedestrian areas along the Huangpu River for a midnight light show.
Wu Tao, a man from Anhui Province, told the Shanghai-based news website Eastday.com that shortly before the stampede began, the crowd in Chen Yi Square had grown quite large and disorderly. Wu Tao, a man from Anhui Province, told the Shanghai-based news website Eastday.com that shortly before the stampede began, the crowd in the square had grown quite large and disorderly.
He said that groups of people pressed against each other as some people tried to make their way to an elevated viewing area, while others tried to make their way down.
About 11:50 p.m., people in a nearby building began dropping green pieces of paper that looked like American $100 bills, which set off a rush, Eastday.com quoted Mr. Wu as saying. Photographs posted online showed the fake notes, which bore the words “New Year 2015.”About 11:50 p.m., people in a nearby building began dropping green pieces of paper that looked like American $100 bills, which set off a rush, Eastday.com quoted Mr. Wu as saying. Photographs posted online showed the fake notes, which bore the words “New Year 2015.”
Zuo Zhijian, who said he was at the scene, published an account on his Sina Weibo microblog. “Someone behind me grabbed me and was breathing heavily,” he wrote. “A woman in front of me said, ‘Please help, I can’t make it.’ ”
Xiao Ji, who said he had also been in the square, wrote on his Weibo account: “All of a sudden, the whole crowd stopped moving — lots of crying and shouting. The police was helping too but there were so many people. I saw people faint in front of me. I was so scared.”
Photos from the scene showed dense crushes of people pushing to escape the crowd. Later images revealed people lying unconscious, receiving first aid while surrounded by shoes, bottles and other debris.
The Shanghai Daily reported that in previous years the New Year’s Eve show was held in a more open area along the Bund. But because of safety concerns, the celebration was moved to a more confined area known as Bund Origin.The Shanghai Daily reported that in previous years the New Year’s Eve show was held in a more open area along the Bund. But because of safety concerns, the celebration was moved to a more confined area known as Bund Origin.
Last year, the New Year’s celebrations on the Bund attracted 300,000 people, The Daily reported, an unexpected turnout that surprised local officials and led to traffic chaos. While such stampedes are infrequent, in 2004 at least 37 people died in a stampede during a Lantern Festival in Beijing.
The injured have been taken to four hospitals, where images on news sites showed crowds of people waiting in hallways. Top local officials — including the Shanghai Communist Party secretary, Han Zheng, and the mayor, Yang Xiong — were shown on local news websites holding early morning meetings and visiting survivors at hospitals.
While such stampedes are infrequent, they sometimes occur during holidays in China, when massive numbers of people gather. In 2004, at least 37 people died in a stampede on a crowded pedestrian bridge during a Lantern Festival celebration in Beijing’s Miyun District.