Poorva Chavan
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Written By: Poorva Chavan | Published : September 24, 2015 6:46 PM IST
717 people have died and 805 have been injured in a stampede rocked the Holy city of Mecca today, according to a report in the Times of India. Some two million people visit the holy city every year during the annual hajj pilgrimage. A stampede is not the least expected thing when so many people gather together. A stampede-like situation can arise anytime and not just during a pilgrimage. You can be stuck in a crowd even during a your morning rides to work and it doesn't take long for a crowd to get out of hand and turn into a stampede.
Here are some tips to escape or save yourself and near and dear ones during a stampede or a similar situations.
1. Try to stay on your feet. In a stampede there are high chances that you might lose your balance and fall down. Make sure you don't. The moment you are flat on the ground, your chances of survival go down.
2. Try to save all your energy: Don't try to push people around, and try to keep yourself calm. Don't yell or scream. Instead, use sign language to communicate to people, wave and point.
3. Protect your upper body: Keep your hands near your chest like a boxer, Try to form a cage around your chest as it not only protects your chest but also gives you space to move around.
4. Try not to pull other down with you: If you are about to fall, do not grab other people and take them down. Similarly, if someone is trying to grab you and asking for help, extend your hands and try to keep them up too.
5. Try to escape: Many a times, you are pushed forward in a wave. After the wave, there is lull and this lull is the time you should try to escape. Move in diagonals, step sideways, and try finding space in between people.
Image source: India Today
