After surviving the throng, a survivor of the stampede that left 154 Halloween revelers dead in Seoul has described the horrifying sight of 40 corpses lying around her.
100,000 people flooded Itaewon’s streets to celebrate the first night out without Covid restrictions in three years, most of whom were in their teens and 20s and donning Halloween costumes. Authorities are now being criticized for their lack of crowd control.
At a briefing today, police claimed to have sent 137 officers to the event—a major increase over previous years—but witnesses said they were more concerned with stopping drug use than crowd management in the narrow, winding streets.
Students from the Netherlands and Italy, Mink and Federica, joined the festivities on Saturday night while partygoers were given CPR while lying on the ground.
At the end of the lane, Mink told the BBC, “There were 30, 40 people encircling me.”
Everyone had been having a good time, grinning, being wild, and looking fantastic. Simply said, it was unimaginable that it would occur.
Federica said, “Police are renowned for being present everywhere in Seoul, and you always feel protected. It could have been handled better.
The 154 casualties were largely young women, and today, mourners gathered to shrines honoring them. They could be seen crying, praying, and laying flowers on the official altar put up for the victims.
Weeping and unable to speak properly, student Hwang Gyu-hyeon, 19, told AFP that she was “devastated by what happened, they were just trying to have a good time.” She went on to describe how the deaths of so many people her own age had impacted her.
I offer the victims my prayers. Despite the obvious warning indicators that were there earlier, I can’t believe this event occurred. For this audience, nothing was done, the woman added.
The youthful victims must have been “excited and lively,” Song Jung-hee, 69, said, ready to take advantage of their first night out without Covid restrictions in three years.
No mask wearing or group restrictions were required for revelers to have a good time.
She told AFP, “If only there had been enough police officers to maintain order, this would not have occurred.”
Numerous mourners gathered at a temporary monument outside a subway stop in the well-known Itaewon nightlife area, where the tragedy took place. Many of them wiped away tears as they laid white chrysanthemums and bottles of soju on the altar.
A memorial sign said, “At a time when you were all ready to bloom like flowers… My heart is shattered. I ask that God provide eternal peace to all souls in paradise.
On Monday, calls for responsibility increased in the media and online as it seemed that crowd management and police may have failed.
According to Lee Young-ju, a professor at the University of Seoul’s Department of Fire and Calamity, “This was a disaster that might have been handled or averted.”
However, no one took initial responsibility for this, therefore it was not addressed.
Online rumors also circulated that police this year failed to effectively control the crowd, allowing an excessive number of people to assemble near the subway station and in the passageway that served as the disaster’s focal point.
Twitter user @isakchoi312 stated, “I’ve lived in Itaewon for ten years and celebrated Halloween every year, but yesterday was by no means unusually packed compared to prior years.”
“In the end, I believe crowd control was the disaster’s primary cause.”
The administration had defended the police strategy on Sunday.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said at a press conference that “(the crush) was not an issue that could be remedied by deploying police or firemen in advance.”
South Korea traditionally excels in crowd management, with regular protest demonstrations there often being so tightly policed that cops outnumber attendees.
The legislation requires protest organizers to notify authorities in advance of their activities, but the young people who flocked to the Itaewon Halloween gathering were exempt from this obligation.
Witnesses described scenes of anarchy as individuals pushed and shoved to get past the tens of thousands of partygoers who were jammed into the narrow, downhill corridor. There were no police in sight to direct or manage the mob.
Witnesses reported trying to escape the stifling mob as it piled on top of them while confined in a small, sloping passageway.
The education ministry confirmed on Monday that at least six young teens were among the casualties. The majority of the 154 dead, including 26 foreigners, had been identified by Sunday.
However, with at least 33 individuals in critical condition, authorities warned that the death toll might increase further.
The nation began a week of mourning, with all entertainment and music events postponed and flags flying at half-staff countrywide.