Human stampedes: when crowds become deadly
Twelve dead, many more injured in soccer stadium stampede in El Salvador
LIFESTYLE Human stampede
Sometimes joining hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people together results in disaster. A sudden panic can cause a human stampede, where a crowd of people all attempt to escape or press into a certain area at the same time, often resulting in mass casualties.
Fans who had tickets to the quarter-finals match between Salvadoran clubs Alianza and Fas were upset when they were blocked from entering Monumental Stadium in Cuscatlan, which led them to knock down a small access gate and kick off a stampede that left 12 dead, and around 100 more injured. The game was reportedly suspended about 16 minutes in, when fans began carrying the injured onto the field to receive medical attention. “El Salvador is in mourning,” said Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, per The Globe and Mail. National Civil Police Commissioner Mauricio Arriza Chicas said there would be a criminal investigation into the ticket sales and entries into the stadium.
Click through the gallery to learn about more of the most tragic stampedes ever to occur.