New Year’s Eve Stampede in Shanghai Kills 36

36 people are dead and another 47 wounded due to a stampede in Shanghai on New Years Eve.

The incident occurred in Shanghai’s Chen Yi Square, along the waterfront, at about 11:30 Wednesday night. According to witnesses the problem began on with a bottleneck on a staircase going to a viewing station.

“People were screaming, women were screaming and people starting jumping off the staircase to get clear,” one witness said, per the Guardian. “There was a quiet, and then people on the stairs fell in a wave and people started to get trampled.”

The stampede continued for about five minutes before the crowd regained control of itself and authorities were able to clear the area. The chaos even continued afterward, as police had to bring pictures of the unidentified deceased to family members who had been unable to find their relatives following the melee.

Watch local video of incident below:

[Image via screengrab]

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