Most Victims in Seoul Stampede Were Young Women 南韓梨泰院踩踏意外 罹難者年輕女性居多

The majority of people who died in the Seoul stampede were young women. Doctors say this is due to differences in respiratory function between men and women, as most women take shallower breaths. In addition, women are physically smaller and weaker than men and therefore more likely to suffer more serious injuries.

Panic and pain flood the eyes of this French streamer and female pedestrian as they are swept under the crowd. The majority of victims in the Seoul stampede were young women. Doctors say this is due to most women taking shallower breaths.

Vincent Su, Doctor, Taipei City Hospital Yangming Branch: “When you take shallow breaths, your lung cavity moves upward. If your lung cavity doesn't have the space to expand when you're in a crowd, it will be very difficult for you to take a breath or breathe.”

Doctors say women and men have physiologically different lung cavities which lead to differences in the way women and men breathe. The mouths and nasal cavities of shorter people are lower, making them less resistant to pressure. In particular, the kind of excessive pressure and crowding that was seen in the stampede -- nine people per square meter -- leads to compressive asphyxia and an oxygen shortage within four to five minutes. While it may be instinctive to protect one's chest in these circumstances, doctors say this is the wrong move.

Vincent Su, Doctor, Taipei City Hospital Yangming Branch: “I recommend putting your hands in front of your chest to create breathing room for your lungs. Of course, some people say don't stand against a wall because you have nowhere to go and a crowd will absorb the compressive pressure. You may also get injured if you're pushed against a wall.”

The stampede occurred in a narrow alley just 4 meters wide when the number of people filling the alley was 10 times the norm. Anyone that fell was in immediate danger. Doctors say crowds should be avoided and everyone should learn CPR to help save lives.

滿滿人潮擠得眾人喘不過氣，法籍直播主瞪大眼睛、對著鏡頭努力呼吸，對比後方的嬌小女路人，表情痛苦，就快被人潮淹沒。梨泰院踩踏事故發生後，死亡名單以女性居多，醫生指出，這和多數女性長期習慣使用胸式呼吸有關。

台北市聯合醫院陽明院區醫師胸腔內科蘇一峰說明：「胸式呼吸是胸腔要往上，那胸腔要往上，萬一在人擠人的時候，你可能胸腔沒有辦法擴張，那這個時候你要進行胸式呼吸就會有一個困難，你就沒有辦法提胸，然後好好的呼吸。」

男女先天生理胸腔大小差異，呼吸方式不同、身高矮小口鼻頭部位置相對較低 、力量不足難反抗，都是女性傷亡較為嚴重的可能。尤其在這類過度擁擠的場合，每平方公尺站9個人，就會出現壓迫性窒息的狀況，4到5分鐘時間就會發生缺氧情形。醫師建議當下要做好護胸動作，讓胸腔保持可以呼吸的空間。

台北市聯合醫院陽明院區醫師胸腔內科蘇一峰表示：「建議說可以把手做一個護胸的動作，幫胸腔爭取一個呼吸的空間，避免人擠人的時候，你被壓迫到完全不能呼吸。那當然也有人說不要站在牆邊，因為牆邊退無可退，人群還會吸收擠壓的力量，但牆邊你直接硬撞上去可能會受傷。」

事發的斜坡窄巷只有4公尺寬，小小的空間在當晚湧入了比平常多10倍的人潮，只要一跌倒，可能就沒了性命。醫生仍舊建議盡量避免前往擁擠的場合，如果人人學會心肺復甦術，也能把握6分鐘的黃金時間，挽救更多性命。