SEVEN days after a stampede on New Year’s Eve in Shanghai, the souls of the 36 people killed in the crush came back, according to traditional Chinese beliefs, for a brief visit to this world. For the return of the dead, city officials spared no effort in their preparations.
When parents of the victims, most of whom were students, collapsed in tears at the site of the fatal accident, white-coated medics were on hand to pick them up. Dense corridors of metal barriers restricted access to the site on the Bund, a historic riverfront promenade. Only family members and a handful of people who had come to lay flowers could get near it. Police lined the roads and security guards patrolled the perimeter. Onlookers who lingered too long were ushered away.
Had there been such extensive preparations for New Year’s Eve, the stampede might never have happened. Instead, a light police presence was overwhelmed by the vast numbers who flocked to the Bund for the countdown to 2015. The local government cannot claim to have been taken totally by surprise. Concerns about overcrowding had led the city to cancel...Continue reading
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