Such moments are really terrifying. It is like seeing the death right infront of you.
In such a situation, panic is a general reaction, which in turns is likely to create more hurdles.
You guys made the right decision to not rush anywhere but to wait for the things to settle down.
we didnt panic mainly because we were altogether in it and were more focus on how to save the whole team, making strategies and staring at the main gate all the time. We worked as a team and we did well.
I am not sure what was their reason to do all this but they succeeded in spreading fear and terror.