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Itaewon, South Korea -

During Seoul's Halloween weekend on October 28, 2022, thousands of partygoers crammed into the narrow streets of the South Korean capital's nightlife district, Itaewon, to enjoy the first unmasked Halloween celebration since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Eyewitnesses say that the streets became so packed that it was like being on a subway train during rush hour. It became almost impossible to move around some panicked attendees reportedly began pushing and shoving to get out. What ensued was a deadly crowd surge that killed more than 100 young people. Some were even seen attempting to climb up the buildings to escape. 

Around 10:30 pm local time, police began to receive word of an emergency situation but struggled to access the injured people due to the crowd's density. As the situation unfolded over the following hours, it became clear that a massive loss of life had occurred in the streets of Itaewon. The official death toll reached 159, and at least 196 more were injured. The majority of the deceased were in their teens or 20s. The country was left reeling from one of the most devastating events in its history.

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Kanjuruhan Stadium stampede, Indonesia - Police got involved after angry soccer fans invaded Indonesia's Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch when Arema FC lost 2-3 to Persebaya Surabaya during a home match in Malang, East Java on October 1. Arema fans reportedly reacted to the loss by throwing bottles and other objects at the players and soccer officials, which spurred the police's firing of tear gas to drive the fans away. But the tear gas caused panic and as a result 135 people were killed and hundreds more injured, most of whom were trampled upon or suffocated while the crowds surged towards the exits, making it one of the deadliest sports events in the world.

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African Cup of Nations, Cameroon -

Excitement was high for the African Cup of Nations soccer match between Cameroon and Comoros on January 24, but it resulted in a terrible tragedy when huge crowds struggled to get access to Olembe Stadium. A reported eight people died and 40 injured. 

Witnesses to the crush said it happened when stadium stewards closed the gates and stopped allowing people in. According to soccer officials, around 50,000 people had tried to attend the match, and though the stadium has a capacity of 60,000, it was only allowed to be 80% full due to COVID-19 restrictions.

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Brooklyn Bridge stampede - On May 30, 1883, a stampede occurred on the newly built Brooklyn Bridge, which links the island of Manhattan to Brooklyn over the East River.

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Brooklyn Bridge stampede - A huge crowd of people were walking across the bridge when suddenly, a commotion caused someone to shout that the bridge was collapsing.

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Brooklyn Bridge stampede - The resulting stampede to escape the bridge via a narrow staircase left 12 people trampled to death and dozens more injured.

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Love Parade stampede - The popular annual Love Parade festival took place on July 24, 2010, in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

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Love Parade stampede -

In order to access the enclosed area where the festival was held, people had to pass through tunnels and underpasses.

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Love Parade stampede - Overcrowding on a ramp leading into a tunnel caused people to begin to panic and a stampede broke out, leaving 21 dead from suffocation and hundreds injured.

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Italian Hall disaster -

In Calumet, Michigan, United States, on December 24, 1913, over 500 people attended a Christmas Eve party at the Italian Hall during a struggle for workers' rights.

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Italian Hall disaster -

Someone allegedly let out a false cry of "fire!," causing a panic as people tried to escape the building.

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Italian Hall disaster -

The rush to get through the small, narrow exit left 73 people, including 59 children, dead.

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Hillsborough Stadium disaster - On April 15, 1989, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest played a semi-final match at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. Disruptive and violent fan behavior at the stadium had forced authorities to build high steel fencing and separate areas for opposing team fans.

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Hillsborough Stadium disaster - Right after the match began, a bottleneck developed as fans hurried to enter the stadium through a small opening in the fence. However, too many people were attempting to push through, trapping others against the fence in the front. The resulting crush left 96 people dead and hundreds more injured.

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Victoria Hall stampede - At the Victoria Hall concert hall in Sunderland, England, more than a thousand children between the ages of three and 14 gathered for a variety show on June 16, 1883.

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Victoria Hall stampede - At the end of the show, an announcement was made that the children would receive gifts as they left the hall. The excited children in an upper gallery began running from their seats and down a narrow staircase.

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Victoria Hall stampede - However, the door at the bottom of the staircase was only large enough for one child to fit through at a time and as the children reached the door, they were crushed by the force of the crowd behind them. A total of 183 children died from compressive asphyxiation.

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Phnom Penh stampede - Disaster struck Cambodia during the annual three-day Water Festival on November 22, 2010.

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Phnom Penh stampede - A bridge connects Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh with Koh Pich, also known as Diamond Island, where the festival takes place.

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Phnom Penh stampede - A big crowd of people pushing across the footbridge started a panic and people began running. The resulting crush led to the deaths of at least 378 people, and left more than 700 injured.

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Baghdad bridge stampede - The Al-Aaimmah bridge stampede took place on August 31, 2005, in Baghdad, Iraq.

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Baghdad bridge stampede - A mass pilgrimage was taking place at the Al Kadhimiya Mosque, where people were visiting the shrine of the Imam Musa al-Kazim, one of the twelve Shi’a Imams. Suddenly, a man loudly accused another of wearing an explosive device.

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Baghdad bridge stampede - Chaos ensued as people ran to avoid a potential s uicide bombing. However, they all ran towards the bridge, which had been closed off at the far end. The resulting enormous crush caused 953 fatalities.

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The Hajj - The Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia has habitually resulted in many human stampedes and deaths over the years.

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The Hajj - Millions of pilgrims make their way to the holy site every year, making crowd control incredibly challenging.

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The Hajj - The worst disaster ever to occur during the pilgrimage was in 2015 when close to 2,000 people were crushed to death in a stampede that broke out as two groups collided at an intersection.

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Bethnal Green disaster -

During World War II, many people would take to the underground subway stations during bomb raids. The Bethnal Green subway station in east London, England, would be the location of a tragic disaster on March 3, 1943. Pictured: the station a few years after the disaster.

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Bethnal Green disaster -

A nearby explosion caused the hundreds of people descending into the station to panic and push down the stairs to take shelter.

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Bethnal Green disaster -

The resulting domino effect of people falling down the stairs and the crowd continuing to push in behind them caused 300 people to get crushed in the stairwell, leaving 173 of them dead.

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Luzhniki (Lenin) Stadium - On October 20, 1982, a game between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem was played in Moscow, Soviet Union (now Russia), at the (then) Lenin Stadium.

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Luzhniki (Lenin) Stadium - As the weather was cold and the game was uneventful, people began to leave through a tunnel—one of the few exits available on that day.

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Luzhniki (Lenin) Stadium -

However, a last-second goal sent fans rushing back into the stadium where they were met head-on by people descending into the tunnel. As more and more people continued descending, panic ensued and hundreds of people were trampled to death as they got trapped and pushed down in the dark tunnel.

Sources: (Listverse) (CNN)

See also:  The most famous kidnappings in history: where are they now?

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