Witnesses tell how Shanghai Bund chaos erupted within minutes
Crowd masses on a packed stairway leading to terrace viewing area, and within minutes pushing escalates into panicked terror, witnesses say
People caught up in the stampede in Shanghai on New Year's Eve said the chaos unfolded quickly, with screams ringing out in the darkness as pushing escalated and panicked revellers began climbing over others in an attempt to escape.
The crowd grew congested on a stairway leading to a terrace from about 11.30pm, they said. People along the Bund were surging towards the terrace hoping to get a better view and a bottleneck formed as some tried to go down the stairs while others were pushing their way up.
One witness told the he was standing on the stairway with four friends, when he saw one onlooker fall.
Thirty-six people died and 49 others were injured in the stampede, the city government said.
Another witness told the the scene was dark and all he could hear was people screaming when the chaos erupted.