Tight security as relatives of Shanghai stampede victims visit disaster site
Tourism official blames district government as Shanghai mayor talks of 'profound lesson'
Dozens of relatives of the people killed in the Shanghai New Year's Eve stampede were taken to the scene of the disaster amid tight security yesterday morning.
Mourners were driven in groups to Chen Yi Square on the riverfront to lay flowers and pay their respects.
Thirty-six people were killed in the stampede last Wednesday as huge crowds gathered to watch a light show on the Bund.
Most of the journalists covering the aftermath of the disaster are from overseas.
Reporters working for mainland news media said they were under pressure from the authorities to limit their coverage because the government feared too much negative reporting could create "instability".
Dozens of people who commented online about the stampede have been interrogated by Shanghai police in an apparent effort to contain public criticism of the authorities.
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A couple of bereaved relatives broke through the intense security at the square and approached an area set aside for journalists, hoping to make their voice heard.
"Do you know on which step of the staircase my child died?" asked one grieving man.
A woman added: "It took me 24 hours to get a chance to see the dead body of my husband."
One relative said a policeman had been following his family around the clock and several other officers were guarding the hotel where they were staying.
The square, a popular riverside tourist attraction, was cordoned off from the public and only relatives escorted by government officials were allowed to enter.
One man complained that he had been stopped by the police and could not get in, even though his son had died in the crush.
"What you police officers are doing is just stopping and catching ordinary citizens," he shouted. "My child is dead. Why not let me in?"
Du Yili , deputy head of the China National Tourism Administration, said on Monday that the local government was responsible for public safety, whether or not the event had been organised officially.
She said the Huangpu district government was to blame for "failing to follow normal procedures for large-scale events and prepare various contingency plans" since the regular new year countdown celebration on the Bund this year had been replaced by smaller celebrations elsewhere.
Du was the first central government official to comment publicly on the incident.
At yesterday's city legislature session, Shanghai mayor Yang Xiong said the tragedy had provided "an extremely profound and painful lesson", Xinhua reported.
The government should concentrate on improving traffic controls in key areas and during key hours, and review existing safety measures, the report quoted him as saying.
