New Year 2015 was marked by tragedy across China as accidents over the course of three days between December 31 and January 2 have claimed the lives of 59 people.

A stampede in Shanghai, an explosion in Foshan and a fire in Harbin over the New Year national holiday have caused multiple deaths in a series of incidents which have tainted the celebrations of a new year to come.

On December 31, a stampede on the Bund in Shanghai saw 36 people get fatally injured, the youngest of whom was only 12 years old. Authorities have slowly released details of the victims, but there have been clashes between the bereaved and the police over the handling of the incident. The victims’ families are now seeking compensation from the state, SCMP reports.

Earlier that day, tragedy also struck in Foshan as an explosion killed 18 people and injured 32 at around 09:40 at the Guangdong Fuwa Engineering Machinery Manufacturing Company Ltd. An investigation is underway, but initial reports have indicated that it was a gas explosion.

Two days later, in Harbin, a warehouse collapse claimed the lives of five young firefighters who were attempting to put out a fire at the scene. The fire broke out at around 13:00 on January 2, at a ceramics market warehouse at the bottom of a residential building. The building was evacuated, but five firefighters aged between 18-22 lost their lives when the floor collapsed from under them. 13 other firefighters were injured, three of whom are still in a critical condition. Local officials caused outrage and drew much ire from netizens following the incident, for releasing a statement praising ‘diligent officials’ instead of the young men who had risked their lives fighting the blaze.

Source: SCMP

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Keywords: Foshan Factory Explosion Shanghai Stampede Harbin Fire