Just one small push can be enough to disorient a bunch of people off-balanced, whether in an indoor or outdoor venue.

One of the most well-known area in Seoul for a night out is Itaewon. Halloween being prominent, and prepared for the said district; this article’ll base on how to prevent the incident where crowds started to push; people who were crammed into a narrow alleyway next to the historic Hamilton Hotel started to fall on top of one another. 154 people have died as a result of the “Itaewon Stampede”, in South Korea.

Although the tragic event in the South Korean capital is described as a crowd crush or surge, which is different from a stampede. A crowd crush is when people are packed in a confined space and keep pushing, making it hard for people to get up again. The bigger the crowd, the stronger the effect of the crowd crush of not finding enough space to expand, making it difficult to breathe. “It takes 30 seconds before you lose consciousness, and around about six minutes, you’re into compressive or restrictive asphyxia. That’s generally the attributed cause of death – not crushing, but suffocation”

“Stampede is not only an incorrect term, but it is also a loaded word as it apportions blame to the victims for behaving in an irrational, self-destructive, unthinking and uncaring manner,” Galea says. “It’s pure ignorance, and laziness … It gives the impression that it was a mindless crowd only caring about themselves, and they were prepared to crush people.

It was obvious to everyone that this was not a stampede. The danger that already existed for the crowd in the front and middle of that winding street in Itaewon was unknown to the people entering it, and as more people arrived, the danger increased. Thus this is why it’s important to call the Itaewon tragedy as a “crowd crush” and not a “stampede”. Those victims were not at fault in any way. Referring to it as a “stampede” makes them and the people around them the cause of their death.

Keep in mind that being in a crowd clash is only a temporary circumstance. Do not overthink it. Most accidents happen when people aggressively try to pass each other and have different ways of exiting without even helping each other.

“Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options.” -Simon Sinek