The Portrait of a Miserable "Olympic Host" -- China winter chaos sparks
railway stampede; 1 dead/Reuters

China winter chaos sparks railway stampede; 1 dead
03 Feb 2008 01:25:56 GMT
Source: Reuters
By John Ruwitch

CHENZHOU, China, Feb 3 (Reuters) - A stampede at Guangzhou railway
station killed one person when frustrated passengers rushed to board
trains after days of cancellations because of fierce cold and snow,
Xinhua news agency reported.

Officials warned people to stay away from railway stations because
service was recovering only slowly and was further strained as trains
were commandeered to deliver emergency supplies to areas of the country
battered by the worst winter weather in 50 years.

The crush at Guangzhou station, which had been besieged by 260,000
people, killed a migrant worker hoping to get home to celebrate the most
important holiday in the Chinese calendar, the Lunar New Year.

It was the first reported stampede death of the weather crisis that has
killed more than 60, mainly in road accidents.