How One of the Deadliest Hajj Accidents Unfolded
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
Under normal conditions, when people walking in front of you stop, you stop also so you don't bump into them. Makes sense, right?
So you would think that as long as everybody obeys that simple rule of movement, this should never happen.
But having been caught in a much less serious "crush" once, I know it's not that simple.
In my case, I was at a similar event -- religious in nature, lots of people from all around the world, and mostly traveling in groups -- and although everybody was polite and non-aggressive, as groups traveled through the crowds, nobody wanted to be separated from their groups, and that caused major issues.
For instance, a lot of groups traveled while holding hands in an effort to remain together. But imagine how much more difficult it is for a bunch of worm-like people chains to travel through a crowd than it is for discrete individuals to do so.
The surge I was caught in was little more than a momentary push forward, but it was very scary to lose control over my ability to move freely.
I would hope that with most people having cell phones nowadays, which gives them the ability to more easily regroup after separation, it should be a priority in cases like this to urge people to not form chains and to devalue staying with their group if it affects the flow of traffic.
While true, the reception at such events is usually non-existent due to the sheer volume of people with devices. Even with a healthy quantity of cellular base stations or wifi access points, there will still be serious issues and connections will be spotty at best.
That's true, but beyond a certain density this is no longer possible because there is no space between you and the next person.
Here's a video that shows this phenomenon in rather graphic detail (warning: disturbing imagery):
By that logic, there should be no car crashes.
Under normal conditions with rational drivers, there shouldn't be any car crashes. It's when the assumptions fail—distractions, obstacles in the middle of the road, weather, inebriation—that people crash.
Perhaps no regime, other than maybe North Korea, has a more negative accrued karmic balance. And honestly, North Korea does less to screw up the rest of the world than the Saudis.
Sounds like a traffic management problem. Article doesn't mention any steps the organizers are making to fix it. Perhaps controls at intersections?
That's because they are making none. The "steps" (rituals) of Hajj have been the same for over 1400 years, there's no reason for such accidents to happen when you:
Know where people are headed.
When people are headed there.
The number of those people.
And most importantly UNLIMITED fucking ressources!
Knowing that many people lost their lives because incompetent idiots can't manage shit infuriates me and especially when a royal Saudi clerk (can't find an English source) says that the Sub-Saharan victims were better off dying in the "holy lands" than in their messy countries.
I am so glad I've renounced my religion, people often poke fun at the materialism of christianity by mentioning Indulgence and not realize Hajj is the most exploitive religious act anyone can engage in.
In essence, fuck the Saudi Royal Family.
The Mina crush may have been started by a VIP visit by the Saudi minister of defense, with a big entourage, interfering with the traffic flow. The 1990 tunnel crush was triggered by some people falling off a bridge over the tunnel exit, stopping traffic at the exit to a long tunnel.
But it's the long, inescapable walkways which are the problem. There's a good analysis at a crowd safety site.[1]
A German firm did the crowd planning for the Grand Mosque capacity upgrade in 2010, and that seems to be working well.[2] That's six miles from Mina. The Grand Mosque area is now insanely overbuilt (the giant five star hotel with giant clock tower, run by Fairmont Hotels, across from the Kaaba, looks like something from Vegas) but has much more traffic capacity.
[1] http://www.workingwithcrowds.com/2015/09/hajj-pilgrimage-mor... [2] http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/computing/software/hajj-p...
I agree.
This is what happens when expansion of capacity is done without decent safety measures in place.
Looks like some other factors contributed to this very unfortunate accident.
>I am so glad I've renounced my religion, people often poke fun at the materialism of christianity by mentioning Indulgence and not realize Hajj is the most exploitive religious act anyone can engage in.
Are you comfortable renouncing your religion? I personally prefer a secular prefix than an ex prefix. For example, couldn't you have just continued to be less religious. Making arguments based on science and known facts, to counter dogma. Without ever bracketing yourself as an 'ex'. I believe from within you can bring about more change in any community.
Also in that way, you continue to enjoy all the biryanis[1] and all the sewais[2], and all the nice fraternity - which is largely good. Just my opinion on whats healthier. I typically sincerely seek to understand all sides. And my view is extreme positions are harder to change (very obvious point I know).
[1] & [2] -- some nice Muslim food in the Indian subcontinent
The song is based around the Italian Hall Disaster - a tragedy that occurred on December 24, 1913, in Calumet, Michigan. 73 men, women, and children, mostly striking mine workers and their families, were crushed to death in a stampede when someone falsely shouted "fire" at a crowded Christmas party.
I suggest reading the entire lyrics... http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Nineteen_Thirteen_Massacr...
...or listening to the song... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz7oguguIZE
...but here's the second half which describes the scenario:
The copper boss' thugs stuck their heads in the door, One of them yelled and he screamed, "there's a fire," A lady she hollered, "there's no such a thing. Keep on with your party, there's no such thing."
A few people rushed and it was only a few, "It's just the thugs and the scabs fooling you," A man grabbed his daughter and carried her down, But the thugs held the door and he could not get out.
And then others followed, a hundred or more, But most everybody remained on the floor, The gun thugs they laughed at their murderous joke, While the children were smothered on the stairs by the door.
Such a terrible sight I never did see, We carried our children back up to their tree, The scabs outside still laughed at their spree, And the children that died there were seventy-three.
The piano played a slow funeral tune, And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon, The parents they cried and the miners they moaned, "See what your greed for money has done."
Seriously is this because of discrimination or due to some sort of "optimization" that is not explained in the article. Vendors speaking same language kinda thing perhaps.
Cant they make people do their Hajj in waves?
Regarding doing it in waves. Its technically not possible because its a certain time of the year that one can do Hajj, and its not a whole year thing otherwise it wouldn't be such a issue. Its a five day period starting on a specific date determined by the Islamic Calendar which is based on the Lunar Cycle.
So, For Example, the Hajj start this year on the 12th of this month and continues for a five day period in which millions of people will flock to the country. Last year it was 2,000,000 people in total.
At the end of day, it is possible to manage large crowds such as this but Saudi's are basically not putting in the effort. The amount of resources they have, don't justify this being this bad. Hell, Most other Islamic countries also often criticize Saudi's specifically on this issue. I think Iran has called them murderers or something for last years accident.
Problem is that there's a fairly strict clock synchronizing the motions of all pilgrims.