New Year celebration: 35 people killed in stampede in china
- Published in World
- Comments::DISQUS_COMMENTS
Shanghai: 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.
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.
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.
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.
Tagged under
- New Year
- China
Related items
-
China’s Councilor arriving for boundary talks next week
-
Tombs of 221 BC filled with ancient treasures unearth in China
-
China threatens "decisive" response after Myanmar bombing
-
No Chinese incursion into India's territory: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar