Countdown party goers at a new year countdown party in the southern city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, were sent into a frenzy after words spread that a person in the crowd was holding a knife.
However, it turned out to be a false alarm.
"Someone held a knife?"
Local media reported that words were spreading on the ground that someone in the crowd was holding a knife while performances were ongoing on the night of Dec. 31, 2023.
That led to some commotion on the ground.
Taiwanese rock band Elephant Gym was performing at that point and the lead singer reportedly was informed about that.
She then blurted out, "Someone held a knife? F**k," on stage.
As the event organisers noticed more movements among attendees, the event emcees Plungon (浩角翔起) took over the stage to urge the crowd to be careful as they moved to safety.
35 people injured
Large crowds attempted to escape for safety, resulting in some jostling.
The countdown programme was put to a halt for about seven minutes, according to Mirror Media.
About 35 people suffered injuries and were given first aid on the spot.
Most of the injuries were minor such as abrasion as a result of pushing and falling to the ground.
Two people had difficulty breathing due to the pushing and shoving. No one required hospitalisation, Focus Taiwan reported.
False alarm
Kaohsiung police department commissioner told media at the event venue on Dec. 31 night that they found no suspicious individuals upon reaching the scene.
Kaohsiung police commissioner speaking to media, screenshot from United Daily news video.
Preliminary investigations show that a man in his 20s had a quarrel with an elderly man at around 9pm.
Witnesses of the quarrel told the police that one of them took out a pen, not a knife.
The countdown programme resumed at around 9:12pm last night.
The police is still looking for the two men involved.
The band Elephant gym received criticism for contributing to the chaos but there were also commenters who came to their defence, saying that they are not the organisers so they shouldn't be blamed for the false alarm and that it was also a difficult moment for live performers.
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