How could something like this happen? :;
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/02/1 ... index.html
<i>CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- At least 21 people were killed and 19 others critically injured when hundreds of panicked nightclub patrons rushed to escape after a disturbance early Monday, police said.
Police said the rush for the doors occurred after security guards used pepper spray and Mace to break up a fight between patrons at E2, a nightclub above Epitome, a restaurant on the city's South Side.
"There was a disturbance or altercation in the bar ... some sort of stampede occurred," said Police Officer Ozzie Rodriguez.
At least 11 people were being treated for less serious injuries.
Many of the victims were trampled or crushed as they rushed to exit the club.
Hospital officials said some of the victims died of cardiac arrest.
"You could see a mound of people," Thomas told the AP. "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."
Some club patrons opened doors and went into broom closets. Apparently there was only one way down from the second level to the first, contributing to the problem.
Firefighters had to pull trampled bodies out of stairwells.
"They're stuck in the hallway. They literally can't move," a panicked patron told police.
