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FOUR top ranking Shanghai officials have been sacked after a Chinese government investigation found the New Year’s Eve stampede that killed 36 people could have been avoided with better public safety planning. The communist party’s Huangpu district chief Zhou Wei, deputy Peng Song, deputy district chief Zhou Zheng and district police officer Chen Qi will be removed from their positions as the ramifications from the fatal crush start to take hold.
A further seven officials from the local government and police force are also likely to be disciplined.
It is expected Zhou, Peng and more officials could face separate corruption allegations after they dined at a top end Japanese restaurant, owned by the local government, without paying for the meal.
The group took part in a sushi, noodles and sake banquet that cost 2,700 yuan ($530) per person and were to see a private lights display just for government officials to celebrate the start of 2015.
The Xinhua news agency said the government had ruled the banquet breached the recently introduced frugality measures and the officials at the party would be disciplined.
“Discipline investigators held the officials responsible for violating the country’s sweeping anti-corruption and frugality rules and will receive punishment in line with party discipline,” it said.
“The exact measures will be announced after taking into consideration their responsibility in safety management for large crowds.”
The stampede occurred on New Year’s Eve when more than 100,000 people converged on the Bund district for a lights display that had already been cancelled. The crush began on a narrow set of stairs between the Bund and Chen Yi square.
Nearly 50 people were treated in hospital and officials said three of those remain in care.
The government investigation found that Shanghai local government and police authorities were drastically under-prepared for the crowd that began to form on the bund.
Police leaders were criticised for not responding more quickly when the crowd started to swell before 10PM. The report’s finding, which were released in Shanghai, made no mention of whether compensation will be paid to victims’ families who have been critical of the government’s handling of the crisis.
The Shanghai government has cancelled 29 major events due to be held over Chinese New Year which have traditionally attracted a large crowd.
Investigators questioned 51 government officials, nearly 100 witnesses and police officers who were working at the Bund that night and reviewed 70 hours of security camera footage. — AP.
Online Reporter