When panic broke out in the Itaewon district of Seoul, there were not enough authorities in the area to control the masses of people, says a professor of nursing at New Castle University in Australia Alison Hutton.
For his work, Hutton studies the operation of large public events in different parts of the world and how to make the events safer, especially for young people.
Based on Hutton’s information, it appears that the authorities’ poor preparation led to the tragic events in South Korea.
– The authorities were clearly not prepared for such a large number of people. In addition, there were only a few policemen at the scene, apparently because there was a demonstration going on somewhere else the same evening, he commented to by email.
According to the police, 137 police officers had been assigned to the area to monitor traffic and disruptive behavior. A police representative has admitted to the South Korean news agency Yonhap that the officers present did not notice the sudden increase in the crowd in the narrow alley of Itaewon, the British Broadcasting Company BBC (switch to another service) tells.
According to Hutton, the venue on a narrow bar street also contributed to the accident.
– Apparently there were several entrances to the bar street, but the passageways were narrow. People gravitated to the area and didn’t realize that the place was already full, Hutton states.
The restrictions imposed due to the corona pandemic had prevented the celebration of Halloween in South Korea in the two previous years. This year, especially young adults filled the restaurants and nightclubs of the lively Itaewon district, for the first time on Halloween without the face masks and safety distances required during the corona period.
According to the locals, such a large crowd had never been seen in the area before on Halloween.
Prime minister Han Duck-soo promised on Monday, according to the news agency Reuters, that the events of Saturday night in Seoul will be thoroughly investigated. The Prime Minister also visited the scene of the tragedy.
President of South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of mourning for the country, which will last until the cause of the accident has been determined.
Criticism of the country’s authorities has grown in the media and online because of Saturday’s tragic events. According to the news agency AFP, the government has defended the small number of police during the celebrations, but many mourners have accused the authorities of shortcomings in crowd control.
Finnish event organizers are aware of the importance of security arrangements
The Finnish event organizers say that in Finland they prepare for possible crowds with careful advance planning together with the authorities.
CEO of the Helsinki Events Foundation Stuba Nikula says that one of the criteria for choosing an event venue is that the event is organized where people can fit.
The Helsinki Event Foundation organizes, among other things, the Helsinki Jubilee Weeks festival. Its biggest event in terms of audience is the Night of the Arts, which annually draws thousands of people to Senatintor.
According to Nikula, the fact that the event is free of charge makes it easier to control the crowd, because the market does not need to be fenced off.
– People can be turned away if it seems that too many people are coming.
In paid events, for example, fencing can cause narrows, which may cause problems, such as overcrowding.
Kotka sea days event manager Tiina Salonen informs by email that the maximum number of participants allowed inside the event area in Kotka is defined, which is monitored by orderlies.
According to the event organizers, challenges are often caused by the end of the event, when large masses of people try to get out at the same time.
The situation can get worse if there is panic in the crowd.
– We know that in a panic, people very easily tend towards the path they came from. In that case, big signs and pre-trained staff who guide people to the emergency exits are key, says Stuba Nikula, CEO of Helsinki Festival Weeks.
Tiina Salonen, the event manager, also says that at Kotka Meripääi, advance planning ensures that there are enough exits considering the size and nature of the event.
South Korea is one of the many examples in the world
The accident in South Korea happened in the evening before half past eleven local time. There is no exact information about what caused people to panic.
According to media reports, people fell on a four-meter narrow street located in a hilly place and were trapped under the crowd.
This is not the first time this year that people have died in large crowds. In general, the most common cause of death has been suffocation in overcrowding.
In early October, at least 129 people were killed in East Java, Indonesia, after thousands of angry fans took over a soccer field after a match.
There have also been accidents in Europe where people have been trampled to death.
In 2015, 21 people died and 511 were injured in Duisburg, Germany, when a crowd broke out at the Love Parade music event. The organizers only had permission for 250,000 participants, when in reality there were 1.4 million people in the area when the accident happened.
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