Many of the tragedies that afflict our species occur when we are aggregating.
The coronation of the last Czar Nicholas II brought a crowd of half a million (some say) out onto Khodynka Field in Moscow, May 18 1896. On occasions such as this it was customary for the new monarch to hand out gifts to the peasantry. A rumour rippled through the crowd that there were not enough gifts to go round. Thousands of people stampeded like wildebeest in the rush to be one of the lucky recipients. 1389 people died in the melee. A further 1300 were injured.
Stampedes continued to take their toll throughout 20th century. Notable cases include the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989 (96 dead) and the Baghdad Bridge stampede of 2005 (estimated 1000 dead).
It seems to happen a lot in India these days. There have been four separate stampedes in the last 12 months. Devotees crowding into temple grounds on festival days startle for some reason, and people are crushed. The most recent occurred this morning (September 30 2008) at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur, killing 177 people.99 gatherings out of 100 go off without incident. Every now and then there is a spectacular tragedy. There is always a reason found to explain the incident. In Jodhpur, today, they thought a bomb was about to go off. Or excited fans cannot contain themselves and swarm en masse like bees in a confined area.
The real explanation for these disasters is they occur in a space-time coordinate in which Azrael is operating. If only one person strayed into the death zone, only one person would die. But when crowds gather, Azrael harvests hundreds, perhaps even thousands, in a single cruel swathe.
These zones are easily identified. All local governments, municiplaties, sports stadia, temples, etc., should ensure that crowds are not permitted to clump together during these dangerous periods.
To have your event checked out in advance, contact me directly.
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