Shanghai tightens noose on big gatherings post deadly stampede

SHANGHAI: China's cosmopolitan city Shanghai today tightened controls over mass gatherings, days after learning a "bloody lesson" from a New Year eve stampede that killed 36 people.

The tragedy in China's gleaming financial hub cast a shadow over urban management and emergency response in crowded cities, as Chinese media and public criticised local administration's failure to prevent the tragedy.

The city should draw a "bloody lesson" from the stampede and reflect deeply, Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong said today, addressing a session of the local legislature.

Mass activities here will face stricter registration procedures, and will be cancelled if they violate safety rules, said Zhou Bo, vice mayor of Shanghai, at a national conference on workplace safety.

Zhou said that Shanghai is making changes to emergency procedures and rearranging scheduled gatherings, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The stampede, that occurred minutes before midnight at the iconic waterfront area known as the Bund, killed 36 people and injured 49 others, making it one of the worst tragedies to hit China in recent years.

Tens of thousands of people had gathered at the Bund to ring in the New Year.

Besides Hong Kong, that is run as a separate territory, Shanghai is China's most international and cosmopolitan city, home to global companies and aims at becoming a world financial centre by 2020.