Thirty-six people people died and 47 others were injured after a stampede at Shanghai's crowded New Year's Eve celebration, local media reported.
NEW: Stampede incident took place on New Year's Eve in Shanghai's historic waterfront - local media - @george_chen
The stampede took place 25 minutes before midnight as people waited for the countdown to 2015.
Photos from friends in Shanghai: Police now take control of accident area where stampede happened on New Year's Eve
Crowds packed into the Bund waterfront area for a light show and New Year's Eve celebration.
jesus christ NEW YORK AINT GOT NOTHIN ON SHANGHAI
Last year, the New Year's Eve festivities drew 300,000 people, causing massive traffic issues, Shanghai Daily reported. This year, the countdown was moved to a different area within the Bund and just 2,000 were invited to watch it live.
The cause of the stampede was under investigation, CCTV America reported.
A witness said someone threw coupons that looked like dollar bills into the crowd from a third-story window, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. People scrambled to reach the coupons.
CONFIRMED: 23:50pm NYEve, some people suddenly splashed US$-like money at luxury club Bund 18, then #StampedeSH -Sina
According to official Weibo posts people threw fake US$ into Shanghai crowd from Bund 18 (that means likely from the terrace of Bar Rouge)