A crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, on Saturday Oct. 29 killed at least 156 people and injured 151 others in one of the deadliest peacetime accidents in South Korea’s recent history.
Following the news, a thread from Twitter user @belugasong about what to do in a crowd crush has gone viral, gaining more than 163,000 retweets.
Read, share and help prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future.
When you enter a venue, make note of the exits.
1) WHEN YOU ENTER A VENUE, MAKE NOTE OF THE EXITS
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
If you are attending a concert or large event, make sure you make note of where the emergency exits are when entering. Once it gets too crowded, the main exit may not be the most viable option. pic.twitter.com/iYjItx9f46
Learn how to watch crowd density.
2) LEARN HOW TO WATCH CROWD DENSITY
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
This may be the most important step in the thread. Once crowd density reaches 6 people per square meter or more, it becomes very dangerous and you may not be able to get out anymore. Prevention is key. pic.twitter.com/SGIWaJkNsq
Understand where crowd crush happens
3) UNDERSTAND WHERE CROWD CRUSH HAPPENS
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Most crowd crush deaths occur in small spaces such as alleyways, moshpits, or exit hallways of venues. This is why it's best to leave early and not wait for things to get dangerous since others may get the same idea and crush at the exit. pic.twitter.com/9rJ5pG4b5T
Alert people
ALERT PEOPLE
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Since crowd crushes occur in loud environments, people outside the crush often have no idea what's happening. If you are at an organized event and notice a crowd crush, get up high. Alert security and event organizers to stop the music and make everyone aware.
Make space around your chest
MAKE SPACE AROUND YOUR CHEST
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
If you are stuck in the crowd and feel its density increasing, make space around your chest with your arms. Pining your arms to your sides or above your head leaves your chest open to being compressed. pic.twitter.com/saPlSZ9uL8
Do not take off backpack
DO NOT TAKE OFF BACKPACK
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Your first instinct may be to make more space by removing a bulky backpack and putting it on the floor. This is a huge hazard. People being pushed into it may trip and case a pileup.
Go with the flow
GO WITH THE FLOW
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Once the crowd reaches 8-9 people per square meter, those inside can't move freely and the crowd behaves like a liquid. You will feel yourself being moved in different directions, but it's important you don't fight it. This clip demonstrates one of these waves. pic.twitter.com/63aRi3KSCO
Do not scream and push
DO NOT SCREAM AND PUSH
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
If you begin acting panicked, hostile, and inconsiderate of those around you, it will become contageous. In this situation, pushing one person can lead to a horrible chain reaction. Again, staying calm and moving with the crowd is the safest choice.
Do not fall
DO NOT FALL
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
This is pretty intuitive, but it's importance must be emphasized. Your top priority once the crowd crush starts is staying upright. Once you fall down, people will fall ontop of you or climb you. You won't be able to get back up.
Avoid walls
AVOID WALLS
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Most people who asphyxiate in crowd crushes are pushed against solid objects like floors, barriers, femces, or walls. Do your best to avoid becoming trapped against walls or even the back of someone trapped against a wall to increase your chances of survival.
Help your neighbors only if you can
HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS ONLY IF YOU CAN
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Access the risk first. If someone is slipping down and you are in the position to help them you should, but if you are unstable and someone is yanking on you trying to get up, it could result in both of you falling.
Aftermath
AFTERMATH
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
When the crowd thins there may be people on the floor. Since these things usually result from lack of event planning, there may not be enough medical personel to help right away. In this case, volunteers save lives. The next parts are about how and when to provide CPR.
Make sure it is safe
MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Access the situation around you. Crowd surges have natural lulls and you must be certain you will be safe and that you will have the space to help someone before you decide to go check on them.
Assessing if someone is responsive
ACCESSING IF SOMEONE IS RESPONSIVE
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Just because someone is down does not mean they need CPR. The first step is to see if they are conscious. Asking "Are you alright?" and shaking their shoulders is a good place to start. If they don't move or make a noise, move to the next step. pic.twitter.com/xMI56DXjha
Check for breathing
CHECK FOR BREATHING
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Tilt their chin up to open their airways. Then, level your eyes to their chest and see if it is rising and falling. Listen for breathing (if it isn't too loud). You can also put a hand on their chest or a finger under their nose to feel for warm breath. pic.twitter.com/kaMwsUYCe3
Begin CPR
BEGIN CPR
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
If they are unresponsive and do not breathe for ten seconds, they need CPR. It is best to learn CPR with dummies and an instructor, but if this is not accessable to you I will explain how it is done since I am CPR trained.
Hand position
HAND POSITION
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
For an adult, your hands should be laced together (not side by side) pressing on the sternum. pic.twitter.com/UFwadPJqKa
Pressure
PRESSURE
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Get past any hesitance to pump hard. You should be pressing 5cm (2in) into their chest. CPR requires force– more than you would usually be comfortable applying to a person. But this is absolutely necessary to reach their heart.
Crack
CRACK
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
In 30% if cases, breaks and fractures occur from life-saving compressions. This cracking sound can scare people since it's not depicted in movies, but know that it is normal. Don't let it startle you out of resuscitating someone.
Beat
BEAT
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Compress to the tune of either "Stayin' Alive" by Bee Gees or "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, whichever is most memorable. Both use the correct rhythm for compressions.
If you don't like those songs, look up which of your favorite songs have a BPM of 100-120. pic.twitter.com/SdJurV85vS
Do you add the breath?
DO YOU ADD THE BREATH?
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
If you add rescue breaths it helps, but if you don't feel comfortable doing it, don't let that stop you from doing CPR. Breath-free version of CPR is taught to make it more accessable. Compressions and no breaths is much better than nothing at all.
Breaths
BREATHS
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
If you add rescue breaths, count your compressions. After 30 (if you lose count just estimate), tilt their chin upwards to open the airway, pinch their nose, and fit your mouth over theirs. Breathe out twice. You will see their chest rising if youre doing it correctly. pic.twitter.com/iaMxD9Um6S
Tired
TIRED
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
Continue the cycle. It requires a lot of energy, and you will probably get tired. If feel yourself going slower than the song, shout for someone to help you out and step in. If they dont know what they are doing, do your best to guide. Swap when you notice them slowing.
Don’t stop
DON'T STOP
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
In movies you may see people sitting back after a minute and closing the victims eyes sorrowfully. Don't do this, Keep going until first responders arrive. If the person is going to be resuscitated, they need the oxygen going to their brain to keep it from dying.
Defibrillator
DEFRIBILLATOR
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
First responders may try to shock them awake. In cases where there are a lot of injured people, there may only be one responder and they'll need your assistance. Defribillators could be a whole seperate thread, it may be good to YouTube how they work just in case.
Share this and help prevent tragedies like this in the future.
That's all. Hopefully with more awareness, such horrible tragedies can be prevented in the future. My heart and thoughts are with South Korea today 💔🇰🇷 pic.twitter.com/loI5ElTZZz
— 🥀 (@belugasong) October 30, 2022
