To Whom It May Concern,
Pathetically, more than one hundred and fifty people died and many were injured in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, in a stampede on the occasion of the Halloween festival. The citizens of several countries including South Korea and the United States were the victims. According to available sources, partygoers were packed tightly into narrow streets in the nightlife district of Itaewon of Seoul when they were enjoying the Halloween weekend since Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in the country. It is notable that the cause of the stampede is unknown. Investigations are going on the crush and, hopefully, the exact causes of the stampede will be known. But this sort of deaths and injuries is undesirable.
Notably, the stampede is not uncommon in the world. Many people die due to stampedes in different countries. More than one hundred people died in a stampede in an Indonesian stadium last month and a few hundred Hajj pilgrimage died a few years back in Saudi Arabia. No doubt, there are many causes of the stampede. Overcrowds and uncontrolled movement of the crowds and a lack of management of the overcrowded festivals are notable. Many incidents of stampedes occur due to these two important reasons. Stampede is sometimes caused by the abrupt actions of law enforcement agencies to control the crowds as was the case in the recent stampede in a stadium in Indonesia. Sometimes, rumors can drive the crowds to move to and fro and cause stampedes.
No doubt, it is difficult to accurately predict when the stampede will occur especially in crowded festivals. Many crowded festivals do not result in stampedes. But it is desired that stampedes are prevented to avert undesirable deaths and injuries. Addressing the causes of stampedes is imperative for the reduction of the chance of their occurrence in the future. But the emphasis needs to be given to the management of overcrowding festivals. If needed, some sort of regulations for overcrowding festivals can be considered by the concerned authorities. But the crowds have some responsibilities too. They need to avoid extremely overcrowded situations to avert potential stampedes, deaths and injuries.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
