A fatal stampede during overnight New Year celebrations on Shanghai's iconic Bund riverside esplanade has left 35 people dead and a further 40 injured, 13 of them seriously, official media reported on Thursday.
China's president, Xi Jinping, has called for a probe into the cause of the stampede, but the official Xinhua news agency cited reported that it was triggered by someone flinging fake U.S. $100 bills into the air to promote a nearby bar.
The incident occurred shortly before midnight as crowds were gathered for the annual countdown to welcome in the New Year.
According to government statements, 25 of those who died were women, and many of the victims were young adults and students, 16 to 36 years old.
One eyewitness described the scene as "horrific and hellish," Xinhua said.
Another eyewitness told Hong Kong's Cable TV that people standing on a viewing platform had been unable to get down because of the crush of people trying to get onto the platform.
She criticized how police had handled the situation.
"The crowd was coming back towards us, but the police still told us to press forward," the witness said. "During the crush, which last more than 10 minutes, a lot of women fainted and fell over."
A 16-second cell-phone video of the incident posted online showed police refusing to allow anyone else close to the crush, assisted by passersby who linked arms to keep the crowd at bay, and give the injured a chance to be rescued by ambulance teams.
"Please stay back and watch out for your safety, as the ambulances are coming in," one police officer was heard to have shouted to the crowd.
Laser show
The Bund, which was once the heart of colonial-style capitalism in Shanghai, is a popular tourist destination, with a view of historic buildings such as the former headquarters of HSBC as well as the futuristic skyscrapers and laser beams of the modern city.
An employee who answered the phone at a nearby restaurant said many people had gathered there in the hope of seeing a laser show to mark the New Year, and police had already sealed off the area to traffic.
"There was a laser light show on the Bund last night near the Oriental Pearl Television Tower," the employee said. "A lot of people came to watch it."
"There was a huge press of crowds at the time," he said.
But he said he hadn't witnessed the incident. "I'm pretty sure it would have been chaotic. There's nobody on the Bund at all today."
Eyewitnesses told Xinhua they saw someone flinging fake dollar bills at the crowd, prompting a crush as people pushed and shoved to reach them, trampling others underfoot.
An official who answered the phone at the Shanghai municipal government press office said all new information would be made available on the city's official Twitter-like Weibo account.
"The police are in the middle of their investigations, so we have no conclusive information here for you," the official said. "If we have any new information, then we will announce it immediately without delay."
An officer who answered the phone at the Huangpu police station declined to comment.
"I have nothing to say about this, because we haven't received any new information," the officer said.
‘Learn from’ this
President Xi warned local officials across China to "learn from" the incident, as hundreds of millions of Chinese prepare to journey home next month to spend the Chinese New Year celebrations with their families.
"Many places will hold festival gatherings and recreational activities for the upcoming Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, and the following Lantern Festival," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying.
"Local authorities should prioritize the safety of people's lives and property and make careful arrangements to ensure safety measures are in place," he said.
A Shanghai resident surnamed Wang called on someone in the city's government to take responsibility for the tragedy.
"If this was Japan, a lot of officials would come out and apologize or [some might even] commit suicide," Wang said. "I think Shanghai officials should come out and take some responsibility for this."
"They say they are still investigating, and we don't even know if the number of deaths is true or false," he said. "Ordinary people never get to hear the truth, because we don't have a free press."
Reported by Yang Fan for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.