Tens of thousands queue to
enter the main railway station in Guangzhou City on February 1,
2008. [File photo: Shanghai Daily]
Passengers waiting to board
trains help carry a sick passenger over the crowd for treatment at
Guangzhou Railway Station on?January 31, 2008. [File
photo:?nddaily.com]
A stampede in Guangzhou Railway Station of south China's
Guangdong Province has left one passenger dead as stranded
passengers rushed to board trains after days of waiting .
The Guangzhou police authority confirmed the death of Li
Hongxia, a Guangzhou watch factory worker from Hubei Province,
despite emergency treatment on the early morning of Saturday.
Qi Xiaolin, deputy head of the Public Security Bureau of
Guangzhou told a press conference held on late night Saturday that
this was the first such case in Guangdong Province during the
current Spring Festival transport period.
Li arrived at the station at 3 p.m. Friday, when the square and
surrounding area was crowded with 260,000 passengers waiting to
board trains, Qi told reporters.
At 9 p.m, Li was jostled to the ground as crowds of people were
forcing their way into the square and got injured in the following
stampede. In serious coma, she was sent to hospital
immediately.
At least 240,000 passengers were still stranded at the Guangzhou
Railway Station on Friday. According to the Ministry of Railways,
1.4 million people were still waiting to leave Guangzhou by train
as of Friday.
Every day 12,000 police along with numerous security guards are
posted in the station to maintain order.
(Xinhua News Agency February 3, 2008)
