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Disasters at mass gatherings: lessons from history
Lee Soomaroo1, Virginia Murray
1Emergency Specialist Registrar in the UK, and member of the World Health Organisation/Health Protection Agency UK, Collaboration of Mass Gathering Emergency Medicine and Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection Centre for Radiation, Chemicals and Environmental Hazards, Health Protection Agency, London UK.
Plos Currents
|March 31, 2012
Summary
Mass gathering crowd disasters pose significant risks. Effective crowd control, safety measures, and medical preparedness are crucial for preventing disasters at large events.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Emergency Medicine
- Event Management
Background:
- Traditional reviews focus on medical care needs at mass gatherings.
- Crowd disasters at mass gatherings are under-researched.
- This review addresses lessons learned from mass gathering crowd disasters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine mass gathering crowd disasters.
- To provide suggestions for event organizers, medical planners, and emergency services.
- To improve safety and preparedness for mass gathering events.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive literature review was conducted.
- Databases included MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, HMIC, and EMBASE.
- Grey literature was identified using Google; peer-reviewed articles on crowd disasters were analyzed.
Main Results:
- 156 articles on mass gathering disasters (1971-2011) were identified.
- Only 21 cases were found in peer-reviewed literature.
- Disasters were categorized by crowd control, access, fire safety, medical preparedness, and emergency response.
Conclusions:
- Mass gatherings can severely strain local healthcare systems.
- A combination of high crowd density, poor access, inadequate fire safety, and lack of medical care can lead to disaster.
- Recommendations are provided for event organizers and emergency services to mitigate risks.
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