December 31, 2014
At least 35 people are dead, and 43 are injured during a New Year’s celebration on the Bund, a waterfront area in central Shanghai.
Sina News has reported that masses of crowds in Chen Yi Square on the Bund led to the stampede. The Shanghai government reported that the stampede started at 11:35 pm local time. Authorities are working now to rescue and aid wounded.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but the Eastday news portal in Shanghai interviewed an eyewitness to the stampede named Wu Tao, from neighboring Anhui province, who said that the stampede began when some people threw fake promotional money from the windows of luxury club called Bund No. 18 in Shanghai.
According to Shanghai Rescue authorities, many of those at the Bund were young students, as were many of the dead. One person who passed the emergency room at a hospital said that the nurses were busy aiding the injured.
The Shanghai Evening News also reported that the injured were rushed to the Shanghai First People’s Hospital. Other hospitals attending to the wounded include Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, and the Central Hospital of Huangpu District.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a statement tonight all efforts should be taken to treat the the injured, and that authorities should pay close attention to the aftermath and enhance the security measures to ensure people’s life and property safety during the holiday season.
Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai Han Zheng and mayor Yang Xiong also visited the injured. An emergency meeting was held to ensure stepped-up safety measures were taken throughout the city.
According to Eastday, Ruijin hospital treated 10 injured, most of whom have pulmonary contusion and bone fractures. Those patients are not in stable condition but some are dealing with psychological trauma from the incident.
The city’s annual New Year’s eve 3-D laser display on the Bund was cancelled this year, after taking place for the last three years, according to Shanghai Daily.
One week before the New Year, Shanghai authorities cancelled the event which attracted nearly 300,000 people last year, reportedly due to crowd control issues.
A toned down version of the celebration was held at several locations in the city instead.
Photos posted on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, shows the chaos. More on this developing story as it comes into CCTV America.
Witnesses report the Shanghai stampede was prompted by someone tossing fake promotional bills to the crowd.
Photo from Beijing Youth Daily’s Weibo page of fake money that some say cause the stampede.
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