Authorities have begun intensely censoring local coverage of Shanghai’s deadly New Year stampede, in which at least 36 people were killed, South China Morning Post reported, citing unnamed local sources. Huangpu district officials admitted on Thursday that they underestimated the number of people that would show up on the Bund to attend the waterfront promenade’s New Year’s light show, where panic broke out during the festivities for yet-unclear reasons. “It is a do-or-die moment for many of the city’s officials now,” a source said. “Shanghai police and the propaganda department are doing their utmost to avoid negative reports.”
China Economic Review