21 Die in Chicago Nightclub Stampede

MSNBC

[leadpenny]

14 Dead, 12 Injured. 1500 in a Night Club when it happened. 1000 Capacity No other details.

[johnb838]

I blame the islamofascists.

I just heard the count is 21. And I agree with the people who don't like crowded spaces. I won't go to a rock concert because I don't like being in large crowds. Unfortunately the choir loft in my church is very cramped and with all of the wood and open flames in the church it bugs me quite a bit.

[oldvike]

Today's a holiday, at least for some.

True, but I've never gotten President'd Day off. In fact, the only people I've ever known who get this day off are students and government workers. Must have been alot of those people in that club last night.

[leadpenny]

--7th or 8th grade--

Me too. That fire had an effect on me well into adulthood.

[Satadru]

I am sorry for what happened, but who goes to a club in 23rd and Michigan? I live in the South Side, but have only driven through that area. I have never considered going in any of those establishments, except the Cotton Club, just to check out the pathetic display of plagiarism from its New York counterpart. It is really a sad situation, but I think the security guards should be blamed for all this. Who sprays mace when two women are fighting? I am sure all the regulations that are going to come on the footsteps of this are totally ridiculous and will drive up costs of businesses.

[Catspaw]

Add to that banks, savings & loans, credit unions....not all who have off are government workers.

[Catspaw]

I still hold back when an event is over--we're usually the last to leave theaters, sports events, things like that--so it probably still effects me. Because we lived in Milwaukee at the time, the coverage about the story was extensive.

[RecentConvert]

"Rumor has it that a large contingent of French tourists was visiting the club when a routine fight broke out."

"However, the presence of the French complicated things when they attempted to flee the scene of "violence," and the stampede resulted."

Are you trying to make fun of this tragic event?

Where did you read this?

[Chad Fairbanks]

News reports now saying 21 dead...

[Pharmboy]

Night Club Stampede Kills 21 in Chicago
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Filed at 8:31 a.m. ET

CHICAGO (AP) -- A disturbance at a crowded night club early Monday set off a mad scramble for the exits that left 21 people dead and many more injured, authorities said. There were more than 1,500 people in the two-story Epitome Night Club when someone released pepper spray or Mace into the air some time after 2 a.m., Fire Commander Will Knight said.

``It appears a disturbance from within led to a mass chaos where people headed for the door. Most of the fatalities appear to have been crushed or had injuries due to suffocation,'' said police Officer Ozzie Rodriguez.

``Everybody smashed; people crying, couldn't breath,'' said Reggie Clark, who was at the club. ``Two ladies next to me died. A guy under me passed out.''

At least 21 people are confirmed dead, Chicago Police spokesman Pat Camden said Monday.

Several witnesses described the crush as people tried to rush out through the club's narrow exit.

Cory Thomas, 33, of Chicago went to the club about 3 a.m. to pick up two friends. As he waited outside, he saw people inside the club start to back up against the glass front door.

``You could see a mound of people. People were stacking on top of each other, screaming and gagging, I guess from the pepper spray. The door got blocked because there were too many people stacked up against it.''

``I saw them taking out a pregnant woman,'' Thomas said. ``She was in bad shape. I saw at least 10 lifeless bodies.''

Thomas said that when the fire department arrived, they cut a chain on a side door so that people could get out. ``The front door was the only way out of there,'' he said.

Kristy Mitchell, 22, of Gary, Ind., was one of the people trampled on the stairway.

``People were stomping my legs,'' she said. ``When they pulled me up, I was dizzy and I couldn't breathe,''

Fire Department officials said the total number of injuries was unclear because many of those with minor injuries were being taken to hospitals by family and friends.

Knight said 19 people were in cardiac arrest when emergency workers arrived at the club. Many of them were revived, but four were declared dead at the scene, he said.

[philomath]

This may be a bit bigger than first advertised. a report on msnbc with a fire dept official talked of an "aerosol" which caused some cardiac or pulmonary dysfunction as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality here. awaiting more info....

[Chad Fairbanks]

a report on msnbc with a fire dept official talked of an "aerosol" which caused some cardiac or pulmonary dysfunction as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality here

Hmmm... I've pepper-sprayed people a time or two, and the reactions almost always varied between individuals... of course, I've not been involved in spraying hundreds of people at a time (except with Firehoses, but that's a different story)...

[philomath]

most miltary mustard-type gasses cause irritative symptoms of the eyes as well as the lungs, and the neuromuscular agents cause more motor symptoms; whaddaya think this was???

[VMI70]

"... Can't blame Bush for this."

Don't count your chickens...

[philomath]

it'll be telling to see what this was.

there are some "interesting" things out there, including the stuff used in moscow, which was apparently an opiate-based gas...

i was in bumminham when the firehose technique was at its zenith. didn't like it....

[Pharmboy]

This sounds irritative as no neuromuscular symptoms were described...pepper could do it; but it must have been a lot.

[Chad Fairbanks]

there are some "interesting" things out there, including the stuff used in moscow, which was apparently an opiate-based gas...

Which, for some reason, I don't believe the average bar bouncer would legally have access to... Apparently lots of unanswered questions here - my bet is, the cattle stampeded because of panic over a little pepper-spray - add to that the overcrowded conditions, fire code violations, etc... but I'll await further info...

i was in bumminham when the firehose technique was at its zenith. didn't like it....

Works against dirty smelly greenpeace freaks quite well... not only does it bathe them, but it works especially well after you send it down their stacks and leave 'em dead in the water... but I digress... ;0)

[encm(ss)]

You are right. GW Bush was president on the day it happened. Presidents Day. If it wasn't Presidents Day they would not have been at this club at 3:00 am. It all fits. Connect the dots. Why didn't GW connect the dots earlier. Yep! It's GW's fault. I can hear Chuck Shummer, Hillary Clinton, Shilla Jackson-Lee and Jesse Jackson saying in unison, "American's want to know!"

[philomath]

Works against dirty smelly greenpeace freaks quite well... not only does it bathe them, but it works especially well after you send it down their stacks and leave 'em dead in the water... but I digress... ;0)

american ingenuity at its best: a land technique transferred to boats and water, heh, heh.......

[mhking]

I am sorry for what happened, but who goes to a club in 23rd and Michigan?

I had been to a function at a former incarnation of the club in the early 90's (I think it was called "The Clique" at the time); from what I know of what the neighborhood has become, you couldn't pay me to go there now.

If memory serves me correctly, there was a huge staircase that went upstairs from the front door into a bar/lounge area on the second floor; up another set of stairs was the third floor dance area. When I went, the club had recently opened, and there was much in the way of glass and "modern" shiny black mirrors, et. al. throughout. It was upscale in those days, and made no bones about it. I was there for some kind of reception - I can't recall for what at this point - but I never returned to the place.

I haven't seen the reports of age-range of the patrons, but if I had to guess, I'd probably say most were in their twenties.

[Catspaw]

From viewing some of the news shots taken last night, you're fairly accurate as to the age range of the patrons.