China's state media has reported that at least 35 people were killed in a stampede at a New Year's celebration in Shanghai, China early Thursday morning.
According to a CNN report, the stampede happened around 11:35 p.m. Wednesday in a riverfront area known as the Bund. Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, reported that at least 42 people were injured.
"Authorities are investigating the cause," Xinuha said.
CNN added that the famous riverfront promenade is a popular spot for New Year's Eve festivities. The BBC noted that the crush broke out in Chenyi Square in Shanghai's Huangpu district.
According to the Associated Press, the Shanghai government said that the chaos happened about a half-hour before midnight. The area where the stampede occurred, known locally as the Bund, has been known to be jammed with spectators for major events.
"One Xinhua photo from the scene showed at least one person doing chest compressions on a shirtless man while several other people lay on the ground nearby, amid debris," the Associated Press wrote. "Another photo showed the area ringed by police."
Other photographs shown online, according to Reuters, showed densely packed crowds of revelers along the Bund, a famous tourist area in Shanghai that runs along the bank of the Huangpu River.
"The photos suggested that large numbers of people had gathered near the waterfront area," the BBC wrote.
The BBC added that Shanghai's police department wrote on its verified social media account that some "tourists" had "fallen over" at The Bund. The police urged people to leave the area "in an orderly fashion."
The Associated Press reported that the annual New Year's Eve countdown on the Bund normally attracts about 300,000 people. However, the English-language Shanghai Daily reported last week that the event was 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 Associated Press wrote.
According to the BBC, many of the injured had been transferred to Shanghai General Hospital.
CNN noted that officials canceled another New Year's celebration in front of Beijing's tallest skyscraper just before midnight, citing safety concerns.
"Even with the light show and official countdown called off, many revelers remained at the location and had their own countdown there," CNN reported.
