Bund stampede kills 35, injures 48

By Staff reporters | January 1, 2015, Thursday |

Online Edition

AT least 35 people were killed in a stampede along the historic Bund area as huge crowds of revelers gathered to watch the countdown to the New Year, the Shanghai government said today.

The stampede, which occurred about 11:35pm in Chen Yi Square across from the Peace Hotel, left 35 people dead and 48 injured, the city government information office said on its Weibo site.

There are 25 female among the deceased whose ages range from 16 to 36. Most of the injured are youths at around 20 years old with a majority of them being female. There are also college students and children.

The injured were sent to several hospitals for treatment, including Changzheng Hospital, the Shanghai No. 1 People's Hospital, Ruijin Hospital and Huangpu District Central Hospital. By 8am, 46 people were still in hospital. Among them, 14 were seriously injured. An investigation has begun into the cause of the tragedy.

The stampede began when a large number of people trying to move up to the riverfront esplanade were blocked, according to witnesses. Those who fell were trampled on by others in panic.

One photo from the scene shared on Weibo showed at least one person doing chest compressions on a shirtless man, while several other people lay on the ground nearby, amid debris. Another photo showed the area ringed by police.

Twenty-eight people were sent to Shanghai No. 1 People's Hospital, according to Xia Shujie, deputy director of the hospital. Most of the injured had suffered serious suffocation.

Ten injured were hospitalized in Ruijin Hospital, many with bone fractures, personnel there said. Some were suffering psychological trauma. Twenty-six were sent to Changzheng Hospital.

Changzheng and the Shanghai No. 1 People's hospitals stopped taking emergency patients today, redirecting them to other medical facilities.

Families of victims still unidentified are asked to register their information with authorities.

President Xi Jinping issued a call to spare no efforts in treating those injured in the stampede. He also urged a speedy and thorough investigation into the cause of the stampede.

Chen Yi Square is near the Bund Origin area, where a countdown for the New Year was being held.

For the past three years, the countdown show was held in an open area of the Bund. However, this year it was moved to the Bund Origin, a relatively enclosed area, due to safety concerns.

About 2,000 visitors were expected to watch the show, according to previous reports.

Last year, officials were caught off-guard when nearly 300,000 people turned up for the New Year countdown at the Bund, which led to traffic chaos.

The revised location was chosen "in order to improve traffic flow," the Huangpu District government said earlier.

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Bund stampede kills 35, injures 48

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