People's Armed Police Force officers patrol the Bund in Shanghai on Saturday following a fatal stampede on New Year's Eve. Photo: IC

Shanghai authorities Saturday verified and revealed the identities of all 36 victims killed in a fatal stampede during the New Year celebrations.

Twenty of the injured had checked out of hospital as of Saturday, local health authority announced. Among the 29 remaining in treatment, nine are severely injured and some remained critical. The authorities have informed the relatives of the injured.

According to the list, 34 of the victims were residents of the Chinese mainland, one was from Taiwan and one was a Malaysian citizen.

The youngest victim was 12 years old and the oldest was 37 years old.

Students of some local universities were among those killed, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The stampede happened on Wednesday night as tens of thousands people assembled at a square in Shanghai's Bund area to see a New Year skyline show.

The municipal government has been caught in a backwash of criticism for not making effective preparations to cope with the crowds. 

However, local authorities said that no New Year celebration activities were officially organized on Wednesday night. The government canceled this year's New Year light show on the Bund, since shows held in previous years have drawn a huge flow of people, causing safety hazards.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday demanded an immediate investigation into the cause of the stampede and urged prevention of such incidents in the future.

A number of large-scale activities in Shanghai have been canceled due to safety concerns after the stampede occurred, Shanghai-based news portal thepaper.cn reported on Saturday.

News of a number of fatal incidents spread rapidly during the three-day New Year holidays, with many urging the government to underscore the importance of public safety, particularly during holidays.   

Five firefighters were killed and another 14 were injured in a warehouse blaze in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, local authorities announced on Saturday.

More than 2,000 residents nearby have been evacuated.

A preliminary investigation shows the fire was caused by an overloaded electric heater. The police are questioning people who may be involved.

 The death toll of a Wednesday factory blast in Guangdong Province climbed to 18 on Saturday. Another 32 were injured and the cause of the incident is still under investigation.