Think tank estimates 150k at People's Uprising Rally

The crowd at the People's Uprising Rally yesterday could have reached up to 150,000 people at its peak, according to preliminary estimates by the think-tank Politweet.

Based on photos shared on social media, the group said today that the crowd occupied an area of 424,149.14 square feet, not including the stadium's seats.

"Crowd density varies, but if you take an average of 3.5 to 4 square foot per person, the total is between 106,037 to 121,185 people outside the stadium.

"Including the 30,000 reported capacity of the stadium, the estimated size of the crowd is between 136,037 to 151,185 people," saidPolitweet in itsFacebook posting today.

The group said it would further refine its estimates later this week by evaluating the crowd density in different areas separately.

However, the group's method does not take account of people moving in and out of the venue and only includes people present at the event's climax, which was at about 3pm.

Malaysiakini has estimated that some 100,000 people attended the mammoth rally.

On the other extremes, police estimates placed the crowd size at about 45,000 while the event's secretariat member Hishamuddin Rais believed about 500,000 attended the rally.

The peaceful rally yesterday was to protest on a diverse range of issues, including to call for free and fair elections, to release Internal Security Act detainees, and to promote sustainable development.