First Chunyun death reported in China

Chunyun is the name for the beginning of the spring festival held throughout the massive country of China. Known as the biggest human migration on earth, this is the time where people return to their hometowns to be with their families for the holiday, and with the growth of migrant workers building the new skyscrapers in Beiijng and Shanghai, this year’s migration is going to be absolutely monstrous.

To cope with the projected increase in human traffic, the transportation of people started 5 days early this year. This wasn’t quelled the crowds much, and in Anhui province in eastern China, a girl was pushed onto the tracks just before an oncoming train arrived.

The student Leng Jing was one of 600 people waiting for the train, and her good spot at the front of the line cost her her life when the crowd surged forward.

“As road traffic was crippled by snow, the number of passengers taking trains surged dramatically, more than 100 of whom even managed to reach the waiting platform without tickets,” said communist party secretary with WuHu railway station Wu Tisheng.

Due to the vast numbers of people, they were allowed to approach the platform before the train arrived, a practice observed only at times like these, where the sheer number of people getting on could cause the train delay.