Strong urged to save themselves

Heroes who risk their lives for others may not always be the best people to have around when disaster strikes, a new study suggests.

Scientists who conducted computer simulations of a flooded subway found survival rates were much higher when the strongest individuals put their own safety first.

When they acted the hero by going to the aid of weaker members of the group, both were likely to become victims.

“Foolhardiness is not a good strategy for rescuing,” said lead researcher Eishiro Higo, a civil engineering graduate student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

“In very critical situations, we have to be kind of selfish, but we can still help others if we have proper equipment and proper strategies.” The team designed a computer model of an actual three-level underground space in Kyoto, Japan, consisting of a tube train platform, a car park and a shopping mall.

The model simulated severe flooding from a nearby river.