December 31
8pm People start to gather in The Bund area, China News Service reports, citing the Huangpu district police commander.
11.30pm A witness hears women and children scream as people are crushed together near Chen Yi Square, and unease starts to spread through the crowd, according to the Southern Metropolis News.
Police spot unusual pedestrian movements near the square. They detect that “people have stopped moving” and dispatch 500 officers to the scene, China News Service reports, citing the Huangpu district police commander.
The first police officers arrive on the scene in “five to eight minutes”, Eastday.com quotes a police officer as saying.
11.34pm A witness sees several people fall on a staircase near the square. where the stampede took place. People nearby try to pull them up but fail as more pedestrians crowd the steps. The situation gets out of control and those on the ground are further pressed together, according to the Southern Metropolis News website, Nandu.com.
11.35pm The stampede occurs, according to the official account.
11.40pm Several pedestrians near the stairs shout “Back! Back!”, trying to stop more people flooding in, the Southern Metropolis News Nandu.com reports, citing a witness.