SHANGHAI, China - A stampede killed at least 35 people during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Shanghai, authorities said, possibly caused by people rushing to pick up fake money thrown from a building overlooking the city’s famed Bund waterfront district.
The Shanghai government said that large crowds started to stampede in Chen Yi Square on the Bund just before midnight, with authorities working to rescue and aid the wounded.
The trigger for the stampede has still to be confirmed, but state media and a witness said the incident was caused when people tried picking up fake money thrown from a building.
A man who brought one of the 43 injured to a local hospital for treatment said fake money had been thrown down from a bar above the street as part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations. People rushed to pick up the money, triggering the stampede, said the man, who gave his family name as Wu.
Dozens of distraught relatives gathered in the hospital
lobby waiting for news, with some expressing frustration over a lack of
information as police held them back.
Source: Reuters
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