8 pm, Dec. 31, 2014: Crowds start to gather in Shanghai's old riverfront Bund area to celebrate the new year.

10:40 pm: Shanghai Metro announces ridership on New Year's Eve exceeded 10.03 million, setting a new daily record.

11:20 pm: As huge crowds gather on the Bund, authorities announce through loudspeakers that the annual light show on the riverfront has been canceled.

11:30 pm: Large crowds clog the steps at the end of a public square leading to a riverside platform that offers the best views of the river and skyscrapers on the other side. Police send 500 more officers to keep order.

11:35 pm: Crowds ascending and descending the steps crush into each other, with the descending crowd knocking down and stepping over people on the bottom steps. Witnesses say the stampede eases after several minutes. Victims are taken to hospitals.

11:47 pm: Vouchers for an upscale bar resembling dollar bills are thrown from a window into the crowd. Initial reports blame them for the stampede, but police say they were not the cause.

4:01 am, Jan 1, 2015: Shanghai authorities announce the deadly stampede.

Sources: Shanghai city police, municipal government, state media.