SHANGHAI: Thirty-five people have been killed in a stampede during New Year's celebrations in downtown Shanghai, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency is reporting.

The report early Thursday cites the Shanghai government in saying that another 42 people were injured.

The deaths and injuries occurred at Shanghai's popular riverfront Bund area, which can be jammed with spectators for major events.

One Xinhua photo from the scene showed at least one person doing chest compressions on a shirtless man while several other people lay on the ground nearby, amid debris. Another photo showed the area ringed by police.

Security personnel and policemen stand next to an entrance to a hospital where injured people of a stampede incident are treated, in Shanghai. (AP Photo)

The cause of the stampede remained under investigation, the Xinhua report said.

Shanghai's historic Bund riverfront runs along an area of often narrow streets amid restored old buildings, shops and tourist attractions. The China Daily newspaper in February reported that the city's population was more than 24 million at the end of 2013.