On Wednesday night, a stampede broke out during a programme organised by the TDP in Kandukur town in Nellore. Eight people have died till now in the horrid incident.
The victims, and eight others were injured on Wednesday after they fell in a drainage canal when the Leader of Opposition N Chandrababu Naidu was addressing a roadshow there.
What Happened?
People gathered in large numbers at the venue and there was some jostling among the public during the meeting, leading to a stampede-like situation at the canal, police had said based on initial information.
Some of the injured are undergoing treatment in hospital.
Naidu, who immediately cancelled the meeting, announced Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased. He also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated.
He also asked the TDP leaders to ensure better medical care to the injured.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacting to the incident, said he was pained by the mishap and announced Rs two lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured.
What is a Stampede and Crowd Crush?
A stampede is a situation in which a large group of animals all run in the same direction, usually because they are excited or scared. Zebras, cattle, elephants, reindeer, sheep, pigs, goats, blue wildebeests, walruses, wild horses, and rhinoceroses are among the non-human species associated with stampede behaviour.
Some media outlets refer to situations in which people have been injured or killed as a “stampede,” but this is a misnomer; the more accurate term would be crush, or crowd collapse.
Crowd collapses and crushes are disastrous events that can occur when a crowd becomes dangerously overcrowded. When the density of a crowd reaches or exceeds four to five people per square metre (0.37 to 0.46/sq ft), the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse in on itself or become so densely packed that individuals are crushed and asphyxiated.
At this density, a crowd can start to behave like a fluid, sweeping people around without their consent. Such incidents are almost always the result of organisational failures, and most major crowd disasters can be avoided with simple crowd management strategies. Such incidents can happen at large gatherings like sporting, commercial, social, and religious events. Crowd density, rather than crowd size, is the deciding factor.
According to one study, there were 232 deaths and over 66,000 injuries between 1992 and 2002, and crowd scientists believe that such incidents are both vastly under-reported and increasing in frequency.
How to Survive a Stampede/Crowd Crush
A report by World Nomads lists some tips for increasing one’s chances of survival in the event of a stampede or a crush, as explained by Paul Wertheimer, one of the world’s leaders on crowd safety.
It is recommended that you make a mental note of all the exits in a venue as soon as you arrive. The natural tendency is to use the same exit when exiting, not because it is safer, but because it is familiar. But there may be an alternate exit being used by fewer people that will get you out faster, which is useful if you already know where it is, the report says.
“When you begin to feel uncomfortable in a crowd, it is time to consider leaving. This is difficult because you don’t want to leave if you’ve travelled a long distance or waited for a long time, such as in front of a stage,” Paul said.
Many people put off making that decision until it’s too late, and then they find themselves trapped in a large, swaying, and shuffling crowd.
Here are Paul’s survival suggestions:
- Maintain your balance.
- Conserve energy by not pushing against the crowd and refraining from yelling or screaming.
- Communicate with those around you by using sign language (point, wave, even use your eyes)
- Keep your hands up by your chest, as if you were a boxer; this allows you to move and protects your chest.
- If you’re in danger, ask for help from the crowd.
- If someone extends their hand for assistance, grab hold of it to keep them upright.
How to Escape a Stampede
The accordion method was invented by Paul to help him get out of a crush, the report states.
“There is a lull after being pushed forward, as in a wave. That lull is your opportunity to move, and you move diagonally, between pockets of people. People are always separated by space. A few steps sideways, another wave surge, then a few steps in the next lull. That is how you work your way out until you reach the periphery,” he said.
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