Eleven officials in Shanghai were punished over the New Year's Eve stampede that left 36 people dead and 49 injured.

 

Four top district officials, including the Huangpu district Party chief, district governor and police chief as well as deputy police chief, were sacked for insufficient preparation and response in the New Year's Eve stampede.

 

It was lack of public security that caused heavy casualties and serious consequences, said an investigation report released at the conference.

 

Inadequate prevention and preparation for the mass activity and poor on-site management should be blamed.

 

The district tourism bureau released information on the New Year countdown activity on Dec 30 and the publicity of the event was late and insufficient, the report said.

 

The security staff was very insufficient as only about 500 police and urban management personnel were deployed in the area.

 

At the press conference, Zhou Bo, vice mayor of Shanghai, expressed deep condolences for those affected by the incident and apologized to stampede victims and their families on behalf of the municipal Communist Party of China committee and government.

 

The deadly stampede happened at 11:35 pm on December 31, 2014, when people assembled on Shanghai's historic riverfront walk, the Bund, to usher in the new year.

 

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