FOUR Shanghai officials have been sacked over a New Year’s Eve crush on the waterfront Bund that killed 36 people, the city government announced yesterday, saying the tragedy could have been avoided.

    New Year revelers, many of them young women, were trampled after flocking to the Bund, with severe overcrowding raising questions about why authorities failed to enforce stronger safety measures.

    Four district officials in Huangpu, where the accident took place, have been relieved of their Party and government posts, Shanghai officials told a news conference.

    Those dismissed include the district’s Party chief Zhou Wei; his deputy Peng Song, who was also district head; Zhou Zheng, vice district head and public security chief; and Chen Qi, deputy police chief of the district, according to the decision of Shanghai municipal authorities.

    Zhou Wei and Peng were among several officials who went for an expensive dinner shortly before the accident, which is in violation of Party rules, Shanghai’s corruption watchdog also said yesterday.

    The officials billed the private-room banquet including sushi, noodles and sake, which cost over 2,700 yuan (US$450), to an unofficial account to be paid later.

    Authorities imposed lesser, administrative penalties on seven others, including district officials and Shanghai police, a government statement said.

    “The Dec. 31 incident is one that should not have happened and could have been completely avoided,” Vice Mayor Zhou Bo told the news conference.

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    He expressed deep condolences for those affected by the incident and apologized to stampede victims and their families.

    Officials laid the blame largely on Huangpu District, though they said other government departments shared responsibility for oversight.

    “Preventive preparations were lacking, site management was weak, improper response and handling triggered a stampede which caused major injuries and deaths,” Xiong Xinguang, head of Shanghai’s emergency management office, told the news conference.

    “The Huangpu District Government and related departments have inescapable responsibility for this incident.”

    The announcement followed the conclusion of an official report on the accident, based on an investigation carried out over three weeks by Shanghai itself and invited experts.

    Also yesterday, Weng Zuliang, 52, former Party chief of Zhabei District in Shanghai, was appointed to be Party chief of Huangpu, while Tang Zhiping, 50, former head of the city’s urban and rural construction management commission, to be Weng’s deputy and acting head of Huangpu.

    Meanwhile, A total of 46 of the 49 injured in the stampede have been discharged from hospital, according to the press conference.

    One of the three remaining hospitalized, an 18-year-old female university student, is in the most critical condition and still under intensive medical care. The other two, a woman and a man, are in recovery.