The Beijing municipal government Thursday announced punishment for officials responsible for the Lantern Festival stampede in suburban Miyun County on Feb. 5 which claimed 37 lives.

Xia Qiang, secretary of the Miyun County Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was given a disciplinary warning.

The Beijing municipal government agreed to the resignation of Zhang Wen, head of the county and deputy-secretary of the CPC Miyun County Committee.

Chen Xiaohong, deputy-secretary of the CPC Miyun County Committee, was dismissed from all party posts.

Wang Chunlin, deputy-head of Miyun County, was given a disciplinary warning and a serious demerit record.

Two people directly responsible for the tragedy have been transferred to the jurisdictional departments.

The accident was attributed to slack safety guard.

The accident occurred in the Mihong Park where people were celebrating the Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first Chinese lunar month and is regarded as the last day of the Spring Festival.

Rumors spread the park was displaying fireworks and crowds of people wanted to pass a steep bridge over a river, the easiest wayto get to the opposite bank, where some residents were displaying fire works.

One spectator stumbled on the bridge and many others fell upon.Many were trampled and suffocated to death.

Source: Xinhua