2004 Miyun stampede
Date February 5
Location Miyun District
Beijing, China
Type of accident Stampede
Cause A person tripped and fell[1]
Fatalities 37
Non-fatal injuries 15

The 2004 Miyun stampede (Chinese: 2004年北京密云灯会踩踏事故) also known as Beijing lantern festival stampede was a human stampede that occurred in a crowded lantern festival in Miyun District, Beijing, resulting in 37 deaths and 15 persons injured.[1]

Background

The Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar. It marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, and falls on some day in February or March in the Gregorian calendar.

Disaster

At the Mihong Park, when people were celebrating the lantern festival on a bridge, a spectator tripped on an open grate and fell, causing a chain-reaction of people falling upon each others.[2][3][4]

Wu Kun, a spokesman for the Beijing city government described the stampede:

One person fell down on a grate in the park and caused many people to fall down, there was a stampede. It was a lot of people. I'm not sure how many. These things are packed.[3]

Aftermath

After the accident, Beijing Mayor Liu Qi, rushed to the scene of the disaster, and Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao ordered local authorities to investigate how the accident happened and "to try their best to save the injured and make suitable arrangement for the families of the dead."[5][2]

Two police officers, Sun Yong and Chen Bainian, were sentenced to three years in jail for dereliction of duty by the 2nd Branch of Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 "密云彩虹桥事故：武警背出的死者多为女性和小孩_新闻_腾讯网". news.qq.com. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  2. 1 2 "北京密云灯会踩踏事故37人死亡 胡锦涛做出批示--社会--人民网". www.people.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  3. 1 2 Kahn, Joseph (2004-02-06). "New Year's Disaster in China: 37 Revelers Crushed to Death". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  4. ↑ "Dozens Die In Stampede At Holiday Festival Near Beijing". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  5. ↑ "37 Killed in Chinese Festival Stampede (washingtonpost.com)". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  6. ↑ "Two police jailed over Miyun stampede case". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  7. ↑ "Two in court over Beijing trampling case". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
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