A mass panic caused deaths and injuries at the 2010 Love Parade in Duisburg. It was supposed to be a peaceful celebration around the music culture techno. But the well-known major event Loveparade was overshadowed by a fatal disaster. How can such a mass panic occur? And what consequences can a mass panic have for individual health?
Loveparade 2010: mass panic with tragic consequences
On July 24, 2010, the Loveparade 2010 in Duisburg abruptly turned into a tragic disaster. Instead of celebrating a technofest of love, far more than 600 visitors were injured, 21 people even had to pay with their lives. It is likely that a mass panic triggered the disaster. The exact crime is being investigated by the public prosecutor’s office.
Mass panic at major events
Wherever large numbers of people gather in a limited space, there is a potential risk of mass panic. Concerts, soccer matches in large stadiums, and other large events must therefore be planned and implemented with strict safety precautions. This is to avoid possible dangers for the participating people and their health.
The extent to which safety precautions were disregarded at the Love Parade is currently still being investigated. Visitors to the Love Parade reported that at times there was only one entrance and exit to the Love Parade festival grounds. The way led through two tunnels along a railroad line and was too narrow for the masses of visitors. According to the organizer, 1.4 million visitors attended the Love Parade. However, according to the security measures, the available capacity was only designed for 250,000 people.
Uncontrollable fear caused by panic
Whenever a situation seems almost hopeless for people, panic can arise. Most often, panic is accompanied by health effects such as trembling, sweating, palpitations, shortness of breath and dizziness. In mass panic, affected individuals often report feeling very close to death.
These symptoms can lead to uncontrollable fear. This fear, in turn, can have fatal consequences, because people act with uncontrollable movements in panic situations. The urgent need to flee arises, which is referred to as the so-called herd instinct, because those affected often orient themselves to the behavior of others present.
When trying to leave created confinement by alternative ways, people can hurt themselves and also others. This is because distances and heights cannot be correctly assessed and estimated during the panic. Often the realistic view is missing in the mass panic. Experts absolutely recommend to keep calm, even if this is difficult.
Injuries caused by mass panic
Furthermore, despite the panic, you should try to calm and comfort fellow people. If one is pushed against a wall, it can be advantageous to stand to the side. If you stand with your back or chest to the wall, this can lead to enormous and life-threatening injuries in massive crowds. It is especially fatal to fall and lie on the ground during a mass panic. The fleeing crowd can usually only register this insufficiently during the panic, so that these victims then have to fear additional health damage due to the mass movement.
Typical injuries during a mass panic are:
- Broken bones
- Fractures of the extremities
- Craniocerebral trauma
- Injuries to the lungs, heart, spleen, or liver
Because there is enormous pressure during a mass panic, organs can also rupture, so that victims may bleed to death internally from the consequences.
Traumatic asphyxia as a result of death
The most common cause of death in a mass panic is traumatic asphyxia (Perthes syndrome), an impending suffocation. Massive injuries to the chest in this type of asphyxia (pulselessness) can cause the exchange of air and gas in the body to stop. The lack of oxygen supply can cause victims of mass panic to suffocate.
