A tragedy unfortunately not unique in its kind. The stampede Saturday evening in the center of Seoul, South Korea, left more than 150 dead. It is one of the deadliest crowd movements of the past ten years. Here are some benchmarks.
Mecca (2015): 2,300 dead
On September 24, 2015, a gigantic stampede at the site of the stoning of the stelae in Mina, near Mecca, during the annual pilgrimage, killed around 2,300 people. It is the deadliest disaster in the history of hajj.
Iran, which announced the death of 464 of its pilgrims, strongly blamed Saudi Arabia for its organization deemed faulty.
Pilgrims have explained the stampede by the closure of a road near the site of the stoning and the mismanagement by the security forces of the flow of the faithful. After Iran, Mali – with 282 dead – is the second most affected country.
Indonesia (2022): at least 133 dead
On October 1, 2022, a crowd movement occurred in a football stadium in Malang (in the east of the island of Java) after the police wanted to repel supporters with tear gas, causing the death of 133 people, including more than forty children.
Many victims, seized with panic, were crushed or asphyxiated trying to use closed or too narrow exit doors.
Six people, including three police officers, were indicted and the regional police chief transferred. Kanjuruhan Stadium is going to be demolished.
South Korea: more than 150 dead
On the night of October 29 to 30, 2022, more than 150 people are killed and some 76 others injured in a stampede in Seoul during a Halloween party with several thousand participants in the narrow streets of a district of the capital. South Korean.
India: at least 115 dead
On October 13, 2013, a stampede on the sidelines of a religious festival near a temple in the district of Datia, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (center), left at least 115 dead, trampled or drowned, and more than 110 wounded.
At the time of the accident, some 20,000 people were on a bridge spanning the Sindh River. According to local authorities, a rumor about a possible collapse of the bridge hit by a tractor generated a crowd movement.
Ivory Coast (2013): at least 60 dead
On January 1, 2013, at least 60 people, including many young people, died in a stampede when a huge crowd of spectators left the administrative district of Plateau in Abidjan (center) after watching the fireworks of Saint -Sylvester.
Iran (2020): 56 dead
On January 7, 2020, a stampede in Kerman (southeast) during the funeral of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, in which a huge crowd participated, resulted in 56 deaths.
Soleimani, killed on January 3 by an American drone strike outside Baghdad airport, was considered a hero in the country.
Ethiopia (2016): at least 52 dead
On October 2, 2016, at least 52 people died according to the authorities – at least 100, according to the opposition – in a crowd movement in Bishoftu (50 km south-east of Addis Ababa), after clashes with the police during the traditional Oromo Irreecha festival, which marks the end of the rainy season.
Tanzania (2021): 45 dead
On March 21, 2021, 45 people died in a stampede at the stadium in Dar es Salaam, the economic capital of Tanzania, where a tribute to late President John Magufuli was held.
Israel (2021): 45 dead
On April 30, 2021, a stampede during the pilgrimage marking the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer at Mount Meron in northern Israel kills at least 45 people, shadowing the largest gathering in the country since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. .