35 Killed in Shanghai Stampede

Thirty-five people have been killed in a stampede during New Year’s celebrations in downtown Shanghai, China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

The report early Thursday cites the Shanghai government in saying that another 42 people were injured amid the chaos about a half-hour before midnight.

The deaths and injuries occurred at Shanghai’s popular riverfront Bund area, which can be jammed with spectators for major events.

The cause of the stampede remained under investigation, the Xinhua report said.

Last week, the English-language Shanghai Daily reported that the annual celebration on the Bund that normally attracts about 300,000 people had been cancelled, apparently because of crowd control issues. The report said a “toned-down” version of the event would be held instead but that it would not be open to the public.

The stampede appeared to be near that area.

Shanghai’s historic Bund riverfront runs along an area of narrow streets amid restored old buildings, shops and tourist attractions. The China Daily newspaper in February reported that the city’s population was more than 24 million at the end of 2013.

This article appeared in print on page 2 of the January 1st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.