THE tragedy that occurred at the Alhamra Cultural Complex in Lahore on Monday night was a disaster waiting to happen. A concert had been organised by a private group of colleges.

Panic set in after the musical programme ended, resulting in a stampede that killed three girls. The reasons behind the chaos have yet to be verified, but various theories ranging from a bomb scare to the audience's jostling for autographs, to the concert's ending beyond the scheduled time causing young women among the audience to leave hurriedly, have been advanced.

However, ascertaining the cause itself is of secondary importance if we go by what we do know.

According to the police, some 7,000 people had been packed into a venue with a capacity of 4,000.

While the Alhamra openair theatre actually has two main exits, only one smaller egress was open and that too was not properly lit. That the security staffwas wielding batons at the young men who had crowded outside would have made matters worse.

In fact, the blame for this tragedy must be shouldered by multiple parties.

Why did the organisers of the concert and the administration of the Cultural Complex allow overcrowding to such a shocking extent? Then, there is the problem of restricted exit space. The entrance to such events, particularly at this venue, is often kept physically tight so that security can screen attendees and be in a better position to ward off gatecrashers. However, such concerns should not impact on the exits. When planning this concert, demonstrably no one thought of devising an emergency evacuation plan. Preventing such tragedies does not lie in refusing permission for such events to be held, as has already been suggested by some. What is needed is for venue administrators and event organisers to wake up to their responsibilities.