Authorities will investigate a “terrifying” crowd crush that occurred in a pedestrian tunnel in the centre of Melbourne on New Year’s Eve, with revellers saying they felt “totally wedged” and “couldn’t move in any direction”.
A City of Melbourne spokesperson said the council was aware of the safety concerns raised about the incident at the Elizabeth Street pedestrian underpass shortly before the midnight fireworks on Saturday.
It is understood the Elizabeth Street underpass will be investigated by the council, which is exploring a number of contributing factors.
About 475,000 people were in the Melbourne CBD for New Year’s Eve celebrations on Saturday evening. The council spokesperson said they were “pleased the vast majority of revellers celebrated safely”.
However a growing number of Melburnians have complained of poor crowd management throughout the city in the hours after midnight, including at Princes Bridge, and Flinders and Swanston Streets.
The most serious complaints centre on the crowd crush in the Elizabeth Street tunnel, with claims that revellers who had been diverted from blocked-off Flinders Street were directed into the already crowded underpass.
Recalling their “terrifying experience” on Reddit, one person said they went into the tunnel about 11.40pm then tried to leave after seeing it was “insanely busy”.
“Except we couldn’t,” they said. “Roughly another hundred people had been pushed in directly behind us.
“So we’re walking forward a few metres at a time and the tunnel is getting hotter and hotter, people are sweating, you’re aware that people are starting to press into you from every side.
“Then the line at the front came to a complete stop. So we are all stuck inside the tunnel, people are pressing against you from every direction, the force of the crowd had already separated me from my friends and none of us could move forward or back.”
They said they were stuck in the crush for at least 15 minutes, and that the force of people pushing from behind was gradually crushing everyone closer together.
“By 11:55pm I was totally wedged in near the front,” they said. “People near me started to cry, some were being pressed full body against the walls, people were shouting to move either forward or back … but literally none of us could move. It was getting hotter and hotter and tighter and tighter.
“The fireworks were about to go off and no one cared at this point – we all just wanted to get out and be safe. But my fear was that once the loud banging started that people would scream more and push more. All I could think is to not fall over … but in (a) crush you can still suffocate standing upright.”
A separate pedestrian caught in the same tunnel said: “Why the hell they closed off Flinders St between Elizabeth St and Swanston St but left that tunnel open is beyond me.”
Another said they had “never felt so unsafe”.
“Allowing people into such a small place, where it would’ve been ridiculously hot and densely packed – is poor planning … there was no excuse for that tunnel to be accessible.”
Meanwhile, in Sydney, police responded to a “minor” crowd crush in The Rocks. The incident occurred when a crowd of people attempted to enter a ticketed area.
There were no serious injuries.
“We work with multiple government agencies on crowd management plans well ahead of time, so incidents are dealt with quickly and people can enjoy their night,” a City of Sydney spokesperson said.
“As always, we’ll incorporate any learnings from this event as we plan next year’s celebration with our NSW Government partners.”
About one million people descended on the Sydney Harbour foreshore on Saturday evening.
Crowds also spilled over at key public transport stops.
#NSWpol #sydneyferries #SydneyNYE worst crowd control at the quay. Someone will be injured. Police don’t care! Can’t even get off the ferry pic.twitter.com/sipXI5c7SH
— Sarah Young (@curriesarahc) December 31, 2022
“With Circular Quay being one of the most popular vantage points, some ferry passengers waited briefly to exit their services so they could move safely and freely around the promenade,” a Transport for New South Wales spokesperson said.
“Access to platforms was limited briefly at Wynyard and Central Stations to manage crowds heading home after the midnight fireworks, but these safety strategies were anticipated and short-term. There was also a minor incident at Town Hall Station requiring emergency services.”
