(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-10-06 17:11

BEIJING -- More than 3,400 tourists "got lost" when touring the Tian'anmen Square in downtown Beijing during the first four days of October, local police said Saturday.

The 3,418 tourists, who were reported losing contact with their relatives, an average of 854 per day, were among more than 4.95 million Chinese and foreigners visiting the world's largest square during the period.

The photo shows the tourists at the Tian'anmen Square on October 5, 2007. [Xinhua]

The majority of the "lost" were found within the day they got missing, thanks to the assistance by police.

Tian'anmen Square, with an area of 440,000 square meters, is Beijing's heart and a major attraction for tourists from around the world.

The number of tourists to the square increased sharply when Chinese started to celebrate National Day on October 1, with a seven-day holiday.

More than 100,000 people from across the country gathered at the square to watch the national flag raising ceremony in drizzle at dawn of the day.

As many as 1.5 million people visited the square on Tuesday, making the largest daily number in seven years.