35 dead, 42 injured in New Year’s stampede in China

Tragedy struck New Year’s celebrations in Shanghai when 35 people were killed and 42 others injured in a stampede at a scenic waterfront area in China’s most populous city.

Among those who lost heir lives were 25 females ranging from 16 to 36 in age, state news agency Xinhua reported Thursday, citing Shanghai authorities. The injured mostly consist of youths – the majority of them female -- around 20-years-old in age, and also include children and college students.

The stampede occurred at around 11.35 p.m. (03.35 p.m. GMT) Wednesday in a crowded square of Shanghai’s Bund area, which lies along the Huangpu River and is popular for its historic architecture and high-rises.

Some witness reported having seen coupons resembling "U.S. dollar banknotes" thrown down from the third floor of a nearby building at people gathered outside a bar, prompting those on the street to dash to collect them. 

The coupons resemble $100 banknotes and have "M18" – the name of a bar on the Bund – written in the middle.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an immediate investigation Thursday into the cause of the stampede, urging that such accidents be prevented in the future.

A witness surnamed Yin told Xinhua that steps connecting a major road to a sightseeing platform had been crowded with revelers.

"Some wanted to get down and some wanted to go up," she said, explaining that she and her 12-year-old son were “caught in the middle and saw some girls falling while screaming.”

Recounting how groups of people began falling row by row, she said she shielded two kids with her arms as her son followed.

"When we brought him out of the crowd, his forehead bruising, two deep-creased scars on his neck, and his mouth and nose all bleeding," she added in tears, telling of the shoe prints stamped across her son’s clothes.

Another witness surnamed Yu told Xinhua, "The crowds were in panic. We stood in the crowd, feeling squeezed almost out of breath."

Stampedes in China often stem from loopholes in safety regulations and enforcement. 

Last September, six children lost their lives after a stairway was blocked at a primary school in southwestern Yunnan Province.

In 2004, a local lantern festival turned tragic when a stampede killed 37 people on a bridge in suburban Beijing.