Fatal Tragedy in Yemen Brings Light to Dangers of Crowd Crushes

Updated - April 20, 2023

• Over 85 people, including children, died in a crowd crush in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, during a charity handout to celebrate the end of Ramadan. 
• Over 322 people were injured in a tragedy that human rights activists are calling an example of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen.

Who is to blame?

• While three businessmen have been arrested for the tragedy, culpability remains unclear. The Houthi rebels who control the capital blamed the businessmen for distributing money without seeking permission from Houthi officials and that the aid was being distributed in a random, uncoordinated fashion.
• The arrested businessmen accused the Houthi rebels of trying to usurp the charity distribution process.
• Houthi authorities said the tragedy occurred due to overcrowding in a narrow alley in the old quarter where the aid was being distributed.

What caused the crush?

• The crush started when people panicked when they heard gunfire and explosions after Houthi rebels fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control. One of the bullets struck an electrical wire, creating an unexpected explosions. 
• Crowds gathered after the businessmen invited people to receive 5,000 rial ($20) without needing to show ID. The high number of people who gathered to receive the payment underscores the extreme poverty of the Yemeni people.

What are people saying?

• Yemeni scholar Saba Hamzah said:

“It is a sign of the extreme poverty now in Sana’a that so many people had gathered. A lot of merchants from Sana’a distribute charity because many people can only survive through this solidarity system."

• She continued:

“People gathered imagining they would come back to their homes with a tiny bit of happiness for their kids, but never returned."

• Moammer al-Eryani, from the internationally recognised, Aden-based government of Yemen, said:

“Those who bear responsibility for the incident are the ones who plundered food from the mouths of the hungry, imposed restrictions on international relief organisations, prevented merchants and philanthropists from distributing alms to the needy, plundered zakat and endowment funds, and imposed illegal fees and levies.”

• Journalist Naseh Shaker said:

“This is a disaster to find people sacrificed their lives for just 10 dollars. People are very hungry [and] people are very poor.”

• The Houthi rebels said they would pay about $2,000 in compensation to each family who lost a relative.

November 22, 2022

The Risk of Crowd Crushes 

• When crowds are densely packed together there is a serious risk of compressive asphyxiation, a type of suffocation that can happen even while standing. The crowd crush in Seoul over the Halloween weekend claimed the lives of over 151 victims, predominantly in their twenties, and brought the tragedy of crowd surges back into the public eye. 
• In addition to suffocation, which occurs when the airwaves become constricted due to the pressure and force of the crowd, victims are also likely to fall and get trampled to death. Trampled people can pose obstacles to exits, further exacerbating the confusion and panic in a dangerous feedback loop.
• Crowd crushes are infrequent, but devastating in terms of cost to human life. Famous crowd crush disasters include the recent stampede at an Indonesian soccer stadium, the 1971 Ibrox Stadium disaster in Glasgow, and the Hillsborough disaster at a British football match in 1989.    

8 Strategies for Keeping Safe in a Crowd Crush

This information can also be found below as simple text.

Be Alert to Warning Signs

• If you notice an increase in jostling and shoving, or a thicker density of people surrounding you, this is a sign that the situation is becoming unsafe. 
• As soon as you feel people elbowing or swaying more dramatically it is wise to make your way to an exit, or go back to your seat and wait to exit an event. 

Assume the Boxer Position

• The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends putting your hands in front of you in a defensive ‘boxer’ position. 
• This creates a barrier between your chest and lungs and the weight of surrounding bodies.

Do Not Bend Down

• Even if you drop your wallet on the ground, as soon as you bend down you lose the stability of your legs and are putting yourself at a huge risk of getting shoved to the ground. 
• In this environment, the chances are high that you won’t be able to get back up. 

Don’t Resist the Crowd

• Don’t resist the force of the crowd - it’s thousands against one. 
• It is best to follow the rhythm of the crowd rather than to spend your energy flailing and shoving. Resistance in this case, might be both futile and fatal.

Don’t Scream or Talk

• Asphyxiation ultimately occurs due to closed or crushed airways and a lack of oxygen. Preserve your oxygen by avoiding speaking. Ultimately, your screams will be lost in the sounds and panic of the crowd.
• Motion your head upwards to try and access any fresh air that you can get.

Focus on Diagonal Movements

• While you move forward with the surge try to position yourself so you are able to move diagonally forward. 
• Ideally, if you can make small diagonal strides you will get closer to the edges of the crowd, where the risk is less profound than in the center. 

If You Fall, Curl into A Ball

• The CDC recommends curling into a tight ball if you do fall. This protects your lungs, heart, and ribs.
• This poses more of an obstacle for people escaping the surge and it makes you less likely to fall victim to being trampled. 

Consider Avoiding Standing Room Only Events

• While crowd crushes occur at organized, commercial events with security protocols in place, the chances of a crowd crush occurring are highest at standing room only events, or those with free-for-all, unassigned seating.
• Consider forgoing events like street parades of free holiday events, or those in tightly packed nightclubs or stadiums.

—Emma Kansiz

(Photo Credit: Twitter)