Survey of Crowd Crush Disasters and Countermeasures

Abstract

Introduction:On the night of October 29, 2022, a crowd crush occurred during Halloween festivities in the Itaewon neighborhood of Seoul, Korea. At least 156 people were killed and at least 173 others were injured. In this study, the author tried to learn a lesson by investigating the worldwide crowd crush disaster and analyzing the differences and results.Method:First, the crowd crush disasters were investigated and summarized through literature and internet searches. Second, based on this, the prevention and management of crowd crush disasters, emergency medical response, and necessary research/development contents were derived through a Delphi survey of experts.Results:Crowd crush disasters have been experienced from developed countries to developing countries since the 1800s. Commonly the crowd density was high, and the crowds continued to move and then the crowd collapsed above a certain limit. The biggest casualty occurred during a pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 2015, but the theme of the event, such as concerts, sporting events, and funerals, was varied. Experts survey was that the manager's efforts not to increase the crowd density, and efforts to maintain order and prevent contingencies were important. They said that it is important to comply with the principles of disaster medicine, but it is difficult to access the patient in the crowd crush state, so the management of the crowd may be more important. They said that it is necessary to establish a realistic guideline and a real-time crowd density monitoring system using CCTV or drones.Conclusion:Crowd crush disasters can occur in any type of crowd gathering events where the crowd density increases, and prevention through crowd management and real-time crowd density monitoring should be implemented.