New Year’s eve stampede rattles Shanghai, 36 killed

BEIJING: A major stampede killed at least 36 people and left over 47 others injured during New Year celebrations along the historic Bund area in Shanghai on Wednesday night. The crowd had gathered to watch the countdown marking the start of the New Year when the stampede occurred at 11.35 pm .

The injured, which include 14 people with grievous wounds, are undergoing treatment in several hospitals, according to the city government. Younger women bore the brunt of the incident with at least 25 women among the dead in ages ranging between 16 and 35, reports said. An investigation into the cause of the stampede has been ordered, the local government said. More than 400,000 people had gathered to watch the countdown during the New Year's Eve, sources said. Dozens of people fell down and were trampled on by the jostling crowd when a large number of people tried to move up to the riverfront esplanade, which had been blocked, according to witnesses.

The local government had cancelled the annual fireworks display programme fearing overcrowding. It is not clear why so many people gathered despite the cancellation of the program. The investigation ordered by Chinese president Xi Jinping will look into this factor as well, sources said.

Some witnesses said the stampede took place because the authorities had changed the location of the countdown this year from an open area to the relatively enclosed area called Bund Origin. The local government in Huangpu District of Shanghai defended its decision saying it had chosen the new location "in order to improve traffic flow". The crowd had blocked the traffic on an important throughfare during New Year's Eve last year.

"We were pushed forward by a huge crowd behind us," a witness surnamed Zong told Shanghai Daily. "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." The blockade seemed to cause confusion as many in the crowd did not know one side had been sealed off. Those who lost balance were trampled on by the crowd. Another witness said he had been saved because the police pulled out people one after another to relieve a tight knot of bodies bundled together. "I managed to keep my head above the pile of bodies, and I began to feel numbness in my legs," he said.

http://ift.tt/1twjOaX Year’s Eve,major stampede,Countdown,Bund area

Stay updated on the go with The Times of India’s mobile apps. Click here to download it for your device.