Crowds mourn stampede victims

Residents lay flowers at the site of a deadly stampede in Shanghai on Thursda y. At least 36 people died in the incident, the worst disaster in the metropolis in recent years, which occurred during New Year celebrations in the municipality's downtown.[Photo by Guo Erqiang/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Premier Li Keqiang stressed the importance of safety in public places, particularly during holidays. He ordered the authorities in Shanghai to "make every effort" to reduce injury-related deaths and to console relatives of the dead, adding that strict precautions should be taken to prevent such incidents, and said public safety and social stability should be maintained.

The Bund was packed with visitors on Thursday, but the atmosphere was calm .Many people arrived in tour groups. A guide from the Shanghai bureau of the China International Travel Service, who gave her name as Liu, said the agency had not altered its itineraries following the stampede.

Meanwhile, the Shanghai authorities heightened security to cope with the huge number of visitors at the Bund on Thursday, and officers were ordered to stop behavior that could lead to further accidents.