More than 150 people died tragically in S Korea... how does something like this happen? Has something similar ever happen to you?

[Amy10223]

I lived in NY for. along time and remember crowds of people on Sundays shoppign for bargains. My mom would take my sister and I downtown to get clothes, shoes, etc and I rememeber dodging people left and right, and being sometimes pushed a bit as people went by. But nothing like what happened in S Korea. That was horrific and as someone who fears droves of people now, I can only imagine the horrir they felt as they could not move and so many fell to the floor to be trampled on.

[Anonymous]

I watched videos of it, of people being crushed and passing out. Saw a video where someone who lived near by shot a video from their balcony of the rescue and survivors. There were dozens of people just splayed out across the road with overwhelmed rescue workers and paramedics giving CPR. Guys carrying their unconscious girlfriends around in their arms.

All for what? Some kind of Halloween costume party?

I used to do security at dances and shows, plus I was also deployed to the Middle East. I’ve always taken a very... careful view of crowds. They are very dangerous and while it may look fun to go and be a part of it, the reality is that people are jostling into one another, toes get stepped on, drinks get spilled, women get groped, tempers flare, people are drunk, high, tripping, rolling, and violence and chaos happen. Christ you can’t even go to a football game without seeing a fight break out in the stands. Go to a concert and there may be an active shooter or something crazy happen.

And that is why I go for hikes in nature and feed deer. 😆 🌳 🦌

[AviatorTom]

Too many people in too small an area, pushing each other in celebration without realizing the danger.

My SO and I attended New Years in Times Square several years ago, packed in with the more than 1 million people. As midnight struck, people started jumping around and pushing each other in celebration, and we got out of there before anyone got hurt

[AviatorTom]

It's also sad that 150+ people died in India when a bridge they were on failed and they fell into the river. The dead include many small children. They were celebrating Diwali.

[Amy10223]

Yes, that’s an infrastructure problem and I’m sure the bridge may have been old and couldn’t bear the weight of the people. Poor country, no money to maintain these built structures maybe.

[AviatorTom]

The structure was old but had just been repaired, took 6 months and was reopened just 4 days earlier. Problem was that its acceptable load was 125 people and 500 were on the bridge.

[AmandaYVR]

The news said it may have been due to word of a celebrity sighting at a local nightclub.

So there are a number of issues. Potentially:

• The preoccupation with youth idolizing false idols/celebrity.
• Lack of government oversight and planning in crowd management for a major holiday event.
• Overpopulation and not enough resources to support.

[Amy10223]

Those are good points although #3 can;t really be helped unless there are birth restrictions out into place, as they do in China. But I also heard there were issues involving the mask mandates being enforced for the past two years, and that many were wearing Halloween costumes and masks, and it was confusing to those oin the crowd when a police officer began shouting to them. They thought he was someone with a costume. Being this celebration was relatively new to them, I can see why it went awry and tragic as a reasult.

[krin_m]

I remember being n SF during chinese new year in China Town and the crowd started getting too big and we felt the fear of being crushed by the weight of the crowd, Not an experience I care to repeat. Ever!

[Amy10223]

This is the reason I never went to New Year's Eve drop of the ball in NYC, or anywhere where there are crowds of people. I've always hated crowds, and I think this is where it stems from. Just going up a school ramp in junior high school (NYC) to get inside the school was bad enough.

[Rangers]

People die every day, it's normal