The crowd crush that resulted in the deaths of 154 people during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, brought to the agenda the measures that need to be taken at crowded events. Experts, drawing attention to the necessity of taking precautions and making necessary plans before organizations involving large crowds, warned, “Planning for at least 10 percent less than the capacity the area can accommodate and admitting this number of people should be evaluated along with emergency measures.”
Planning should be done at 10 percent below capacity
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences Deputy Dean Assist. Prof. Dr. Nuri Bingöl made evaluations regarding the crowd crush that occurred during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, resulting in the deaths of 154 people.
High participation can lead to disasters
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) expert Dr. Nuri Bingöl noted that the tragic event in South Korea drew attention to similar events and stated that the number of people exceeding capacity in such organizations is among the primary causes that can lead to disasters.
Risk analyses must be conducted
Dr. Nuri Bingöl, emphasizing the importance of good planning before such organizations, said, “Good planning before the event, capacity utilization, and risk analyses according to this capacity are crucial. Planning for at least 10 percent less than the capacity the area can accommodate and admitting this number of people should be evaluated along with emergency measures.”
Evacuation routes must be planned in advance and kept continuously open…
Dr. Nuri Bingöl warned, “Planning should be expanded to include the access of emergency teams in case of a possible blockage, a sudden heart attack, or injury. Escape routes for people to be evacuated must be planned in advance and kept continuously open.”
Metro and Marmaray are also risky…
Dr. Nuri Bingöl stated that crowd-crush-like situations can even occur in metro and Marmaray in big cities, adding, “When one or two trains are delayed during peak hours and it's not possible to prevent the increasing crowd, unwanted situations can occur if a good emergency plan is not made. From people falling onto the tracks due to the density and crush, to severe situations where people can crush each other, can be encountered. Turnstiles should be closed at such times to limit the crowd in stations.”
Warnings from authorities should be taken into consideration
Dr. Nuri Bingöl emphasized that people should strictly obey the warnings made by authorities without panicking during crowds, reach the directed points, and assist emergency teams.