What Is A Crowd Surge? | The US Sun

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EVENTS with massive amounts of people can often result in dangerous outcomes.

Mainly causing these unfortunate outcomes are crowd surges — here’s all you need to know.

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Large crowds can result in disaster if proper safety precautions aren’t put in placeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

What is a crowd surge?

A crowd surge is defined as a quick or sudden movement of a large number of people.

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When large gatherings take place, a crowd surge can occur when groups of people start pushing forward in a crowd, making it next to impossible to escape from the formation.

Crowd surges are, unfortunately, fairly common at group events, such as concerts or festivals.

When one is involved in a crowd surge, a lack of oxygen and space to move or breathe can create panic or tragedy.

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A crowd surge can result in injury or even death.

How do people die in a crowd surge?

When a massive group of people is confined in a certain space, a crowd surge can push the group into dangerous territory.

While many crowd surges can result in people being trampled by others, the main cause of death or injury in a crowd surge is actually a lack of oxygen.

People can end up being squeezed so tightly that they simply cannot breathe.

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Those in the back of a crowd may be pushing forward, while those in the front of the crowd may be pushing back in an attempt to escape.

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Pressure from the crowd can result in unstable breathing conditions.

Additionally, stampedes of people can also lead to injury or death through trampling.

To trample is to tread on or to crush, and when large quantities of people are involved, the results can be deadly.

Crowd surges can result in serious injury or deathCredit: Getty Images – Getty

What events have experienced crowd surges?

Throughout history, crowd surges have brought disaster to many events.

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On December 3, 1979, a crowd surge at The Who concert left 11 dead and many others injured.

At their concert in Cincinnati, thousands of people were gathered at the entryway waiting to be let in. The Who reportedly started their soundcheck late, and the crowd began to think the concert had started without them inside.

This resulted in a crowd surge, with many being trampled and others dying of asphyxiation.

In April of 1989, a similar event occurred at the Hillsborough Stadium in England. When massive groups of people began to enter the stadium, crowd control wasn’t taken seriously and a crowd surge resulted in the deaths of nearly 100 people, injuring over 700.

On November 5, 2021, a crowd surge at Travis Scott‘s Astroworld music festival in Houston resulted in the deaths of 10 people, aged 14 to 27.

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FILE - Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Nov. 5, 2021. A Texas grand jury has declined to indict Travis Scott in the criminal investigation into a massive crowd surge that killed 10 people at the 2021 Astroworld music festival in Houston, the rappers attorney said Thursday. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
In November 2021, during Travis Scott’s Astroworld festival, a crowd surge left 10 people deadCredit: AP

The crowd began to surge toward the beginning of the concert, but Travis Scott remained unaware and continued to perform.

This resulted in even more chaos, with over 2,400 concertgoers in need of medical assistance.

On May 20, 2023, fans tried to enter Cuscatlan Stadium in the capital of San Salvador to watch a quarterfinal match between the Alianza and FAS clubs.

This occurrence resulted in a stampede that left 12 dead and 100 people severely injured.

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How do events prevent a crowd surge?

Events should have certain measurements in place for crowd control.

There should be an emergency plan in place, as well as enough medics and trained professionals to be on standby should overcrowding occur.

Director of Safety and Security for the International Association of Venue Managers, Mark Herrera, has made some comments on how large crowds should be handled.

“Typically what they recommend is one trained crowd manager for every 250 in attendance but we know that that’s not always the case with these large events,” he said.

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“It’s going to be a challenge whenever you have something that creates mass panic to prevent the crowd density and the crowds from closing in and actually crashing or creating pinch points for people.

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“If you have to ask the question: does it look safe for me to go down there and join the crowd? If you have to ask that question, it’s probably a good idea not to.”

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Large crowds can result in disaster if proper safety precautions aren't put in place Getty Images - Getty
Crowd surges can result in serious injury or death Getty Images - Getty
FILE - Travis Scott performs at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Nov. 5, 2021. A Texas grand jury has declined to indict Travis Scott in the criminal investigation into a massive crowd surge that killed 10 people at the 2021 Astroworld music festival in Houston, the rappers attorney said Thursday. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
In November 2021, during Travis Scott's Astroworld festival, a crowd surge left 10 people dead AP
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