Nearly 20 hours later, her parents and friends identified her trampled body in a city morgue, one of 36 people killed in one of the deadliest accidents to hit this showcase Chinese city.
With another 49 people injured, hundreds of family members mourned the dead, who were predominantly young and female. And on social media and TV airwaves, many Chinese were asking how such a tragedy could have taken place in one of the country's most high-profile urban areas.
"I blame myself for it. I did not protect her," said Pan's boyfriend, Zhao Weiwei, his eyes welling up with tears. "She was a cheerful woman who worked so hard in this city."
As China's financial hub, Shanghai is known for a better-oiled municipal government than most other Chinese cities, with its leaders supposedly savvier in managing traffic and crowds.
Authorities were still investigating the cause of the stampede. Witnesses who frequented the spot said the city failed to prepare for the massive turnout on Wednesday night.
Grieving family members and friends say the failures continued after the tragedy, with relatives kept in the dark on rescue efforts. On Friday, many were forced inside a government compound, with reporters kept out. "We are basically placed under house arrest," Cai Jinjin, whose cousin Qi Xiaoyan was killed in the stampede, said before a reporter was asked by Shanghai police to leave the compound.
During previous annual light shows, city and military police tightly controlled foot and car traffic. But on Wednesday night, the tens of thousands were allowed mostly to roam freely.
"On major holidays, the viewing platform is always restricted, which is known to us all, but this time it was completely open," said a waterfront resident.
http://ift.tt/1ktNH7e stampede,new year,Huangpu river,deadliest accidents,China’s financial hub
Stay updated on the go with The Times of India’s mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.
0 comments:
Post a Comment