The horror tragedy at the Halloween festival in Itaewon (Seoul, Korea) on the evening of October 29 left at least 149 people dead and many injured. The place where the incident occurred was a small, narrow street with a steep slope, causing people to jostle here to have difficulty breathing, slide and fall, and finally push and step on each other to find a way out.
Not only in Korea, many places in the world have experienced similar situations, leading to hundreds of deaths. If you are unfortunate enough to fall into this situation, visitors should find a way to "excue themselves" and ensure their safety through the following tips:
1. Always alert
Your number one goal is to escape the sea as quickly as possible. You have to stay calm and observe around you to see if you should turn back or continue moving forward to get out of the crowd.
To do this, you must determine where the most crowded spot in the festival is and find a way to stay away from that place to get to the sparsely crowded place. Don't forget to look up by phone or sign. You can also find a quick exit by climbing a fence or climbing a rock ridge.
2. Quickly leave the crowd as much as possible
If surrounded by a large crowd, your ability to move freely will be reduced. At this time, the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to escape.
So don't hesitate to leave the high traffic jam area as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable, and as soon as you still have enough space to move around. This will also reduce the danger to others, as this area will be less crowded for those staying.
3. Always stand firm
If it is too late to run away from the crowd, the most important thing to do is to stay balanced and stand up straight. In the crowded crowd, people were forced together so tightly that if someone fell down, they would create a domino effect and immediately press on the people around them.
If you fall, the weight of others will push you to the ground, giving you no chance to stand up on your own. At that time, you are most likely a victim of trampoline by people around you.
4. Saving your breath
Most of the deaths from trampolises were from suffocation. Therefore, avoid screaming and save oxygen, control your breathing.
5. Place your arms at chest level
If jostling pressure becomes intense, put your arms around your face like a fighter. In that position, you can protect your chest, holding about a few cm around your ribs and lungs to make it easier for you to breathe.
6. Following the flow of people
When pushed, our natural reflex can be to resist the pressure and push back. However, in the hearts of the crowd, resistance would be a waste of valuable strength. Instead, let yourself follow the flow of people while always maintaining balance.
7. Stay away from barriers
The only time the previous tip does not apply is if you are next to a wall, fence or other solid object that you cannot climb. The first victims of jostling dramas are always people who are pressured into barriers such as walls, fences, snake objects...
Some examples are the case in Turin in 2017 or the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters in the 1980s, many people died around walls, pillars and fences.
8. Understanding the signs of crowd density
To make a good decision, you must be able to assess the severity of the situation. Here are some general rules for estimating crowd density:
If you don't have physical contact with people around you, the density is still less than three people per square meter, so everything is fine at the moment.
If you have to deal with one or two people around, the crowd density should be around four to five people per square meter. There is no immediate danger, but it is better if you move out of the traffic jam center.
If you can't move your hands freely, to the point where you can't touch your face, that's too many people. The level of danger has become acute.
9. In case of panic
Fear is a specific situation, when a crowd rushes in the same direction to escape a real danger or is just a suspicion. For example, the Madhya Pradesh Tramp in India (2013), Place de la Republique in Paris (2015), Waterfall Festival in Victoria, Australia (2016), Piazza San Carlo Square in Turin (201 (2013), and the Global Citizen Festival in New York City (2018)...
In these situations, the movement of crowds can be more dangerous than any threat, whether real or imagined. Take some time to assess the situation and calmly move to a safe place, while staying as away from the crowd as possible.
10. Helping each other
A dangerous situation for you will also endanger those around you. A united crowd is more likely to survive than a personal crowd.
So treat others well, help each other as much as you can, avoid stumbling around around people and pay attention to the weakest members of the group. This will benefit everyone, including yourself.
