Shanghai mayor urges reflection on New Year's Eve stampede

Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong said Tuesday that Shanghai must draw a lesson from the New Year's Eve stampede and reflect deeply on the incident.

The consequences of the accident were very grave, said Yang at a session of the standing committee of the city's legislature, the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress.

Thirty-six people were killed and dozens more injured in the stampede, which occurred as tens of thousands assembled on Shanghai's historic riverfront walk, the Bund, to usher in the New Year.

"The lesson was extremely profound and extremely painful," he said.

Currently, medical treatment, handling of the aftermath and a joint investigation are under way, said Yang, adding the cause of the accident has not yet been confirmed through investigation.

He ordered a thorough overhaul of the current emergency plan for large crowds in key areas and times, stressing safety is the "bottom line" of all work.

The mayor urged strict implementation of preventative measures and emergency plans and promotion of public security eduction in society.

Shanghai New Year stampede kills 36