Learn From Itaewon Tragedy

Bini Dahal

Halloween is a festivity observed and enjoyed by people in many countries around the world. And it is no exception in the bustling Itaewon area of Seoul in South Korea. This year's Halloween celebration was massive as it was organised in a gap of two years following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was really a great moment of happiness and celebration until Itaewon witnessed an unexpected disaster. 

On Halloween night (last Saturday), the narrow alleys of Itaewon were overcrowded with both Koreans as well as foreigners. Within hours, the crowd was so enormous that the path could in no way capacitate them. So, in no way was it possible to control the massive crowd. One toppled over another, and this way, a large number of people were getting crushed and suffering from cardiac arrest. The majority of the people in the crowd were in their twenties. The bystanders were found performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as the victims were in an urgent need of medical assistance. But many had already lost their lives and CPR was of no use to them.  

These kinds of disaster are still very rare worldwide. Life and death are unpredictable phenomena. But in every situation, there are certain ways which when adopted can, to an extent, reduce the magnitude of mishaps. In the case of that unfortunate incident, there were apparently no security personnel in adequate numbers to manage the abnormally large crowd at Itaewon. The situation could have been handled in a better way had there been a presence of more security personnel. It is heart-breaking to see how majority of the victims were young with high level of aspirations and dreams to do something in life.

The Korean government is planning to provide psychological treatment and necessary funds for the families of the deceased and those injured. At least, 150 people were killed in the stampede with majority of them being women. The Itaewon incident could be a big lesson even for us and other countries worldwide. We celebrate different kinds of festivals and Jatras where a large number of people are found attending them. Such gatherings could turn into a platform of mass death if police and other civil service organisations do not collaborate and cooperate with the organisers and revellers.

 It is crucial to understand that we cannot expect the crowd to get managed on their own. When such crowds grow, everyone is trying their best to get out of it as this is a normal response. But pushing one another leads to situations where people get injured and even lose their lives in an unprecedented manner. Therefore, a vigilant authority should always be available and prepared for handling any adverse situation. Likewise, the authorities should bear the responsibility to be always prepared for the well-being and safety of the people.

Learning ways to protect ourselves when stuck in a crowded situation and being able to perform necessary medical support like CPR could always be a good safety measure. Preparing ourselves with natural disaster in the back of our mind has been a common occurrence till date. But, maybe it is time for us to realise that the emergence of any uncertainty and unexpectedness through other non-natural calamities can be equally damaging and distressing. And they require enough physical and mental preparation at the local, national and international levels.