(Seoul) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday promised a “rigorous” investigation into the crowd movement that killed 153 people the night before in Seoul, where tens of thousands of revelers, most of them very young , were celebrating Halloween for the first time since the pandemic. A Canadian was listed among the injured.
Posted at 7:28
Updated at 5:00 p.m.
Deploring “a tragedy and a disaster that should not have happened”, Mr. Yoon decreed a national mourning.
He promised that his government would investigate “rigorously” to determine the causes of the disaster, one of the most serious in the recent history of South Korea, and to ensure that such a tragedy “does not happen again”.
PHOTO LEE JIN-MAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol
“I have a heavy heart and it is difficult for me to contain my grief”, added in a televised address the head of state, who went to the scene of the tragedy on Sunday morning, dressed in the green jacket of the emergency relief.
The night turned into a nightmare in the Itaewon district, known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, its bars and all kinds of party places in a maze of narrow streets.
A Quebecer testifies
A resident of Seoul, where she has worked as a lawyer, for almost twelve years, the native of Quebec Alexandra Bélec found herself by chance in the alley adjacent to that where the tragedy occurred on Saturday.
“Every year, it’s the problem of this party, because there are too many people. And I hesitate each time to go to the Halloween party, because it is too crowded, ”she testified, from Seoul, on Sunday.
However, the evening of the tragedy, she finds herself in spite of herself in this place, because her taxi refused to go to drive her home because of the too large crowd. As she walks through the crowd, she notices that some young people on the ground are being tried to be resuscitated.
What was most bizarre was that there was, so to speak, no police. […] I decided to leave because there were plenty of ambulances coming […] then a few meters further on, people were having Halloween make-up done,” she says.
Alexandra Bélec, a Quebec resident of Seoul, witness to the event
Mme Belec said she was particularly surprised by the festive atmosphere, despite the drama that was unfolding a few meters away. “Even where young people were having heart massage, there are people who were filming, who continued to do the party. It’s like people don’t understand. There was no panic, so it was not difficult for me to pass, ”she said.
“In past years where I have been [aux festivités], there was a lot more police presence. I do not know what happened. In my opinion, that’s why people didn’t realize, ”she added in an interview.
Majority of young women
“People were on top of each other like in a grave. Some were losing consciousness gradually, others were obviously dead,” an unidentified witness told Yonhap news.
On the sidewalk, bodies were lined up under blankets or other makeshift shrouds. In the street, passers-by performed heart massage at the request of the overwhelmed firefighters, while people in disguise or in evening dress ran in panic.
The accident happened around 10 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Saturday near the Hamilton Hotel, located on a main avenue surrounded by steep alleys.
The crowd movement, which is unknown at the moment what triggered it, left 153 dead, including 20 foreigners of various nationalities, said the Ministry of the Interior, adding that more than 130 people were injured.
Most of the deceased victims are young women in their twenties, according to the ministry.
Seoul authorities have also reported 2,642 people missing.
Lee Beom-suk, a doctor who administered first aid to the victims, described scenes of chaos and horror.
” Oh my God ! »
“When I first attempted CPR, there were two victims lying on the sidewalk. But soon after the number exploded,” he told YTN television.
PHOTO Yonhap, REUTERS
“It’s hard to describe in words […]. Many of the victims had pale faces. I couldn’t take their pulse or control their breathing and many of them had bloody noses.
A video shared on Twitter by a surfer claiming to have been in Itaewon at the time of the tragedy shows hundreds of people, many in cowboy, pirate or other attire, in a street lined with bars.
The scene suddenly turns to confusion. Passersby are pushed and fall on top of each other between screams and panic. A woman swears in English: “Oh my God! Oh my God ! “.
Around 100,000 people, according to media estimates, had come to Itaewon for the Halloween party, the first in Seoul since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Traders who have been in the area for around 30 years told AFP that the crowd was of an “unprecedented” size.
PHOTO LEE JIN-MAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Several ambulances arrive in Seoul after the tragedy.
But police expected similar crowds to previous Halloween celebrations, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said.
International consternation
However, at the same time, a “considerable number” of police officers were mobilized to supervise a large demonstration in another part of the city, he specified without being able to give “the exact number” of police forces deployed in Itaewon. .
Among the 20 foreigners killed are nationals of Iran, France, China, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Austria, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Norway, according to the Interior Ministry. The American embassy in Seoul confirmed the death of two of its nationals. Three Russians are also among the dead.
Several international leaders expressed their dismay. “We mourn with the people of the Republic of Korea,” US President Joe Biden said.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was “terribly shocked and deeply saddened”, while Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked” and offered his “deep condolences” to Seoul.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “a moved thought for the inhabitants of Seoul and for all the Korean people”. “It’s a sad day for South Korea,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted.
At the end of his Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Francis asked the faithful to pray “for the so many people, especially young people, who died last night in Seoul “.
A Canadian is one of many injured
A Canadian was injured in the tragic stampede that killed more than 150 people in Seoul, South Korea, Global Affairs Canada said on Sunday.
The agency added that Canadian officials were in contact with local authorities to obtain more information and provide consular assistance to those in need.
No details will be given on the injured Canadian out of respect for his privacy.
Global Affairs Canada also advises Canadians present in Seoul not to visit the place where the tragedy occurred, to respect the demarcated areas, to follow the instructions of local authorities and to contact the Canadian Embassy if assistance is needed. consular assistance following this incident.
The tragedy has upset many Koreans living in Canada.
JeongWoong Seo lives in Montreal. She doesn’t believe she knows anyone who may have been affected, however, her parish discussed it on Sunday.
“Today we talked about that during mass,” she says. It’s very, very sad. »
Michaela Le of Vancouver shares the sentiment.
“My heart is broken, especially when I learned that there were so many young people dead,” she admits.
The Korean community was stunned by what happened, she adds. The members have not yet had the opportunity to formally gather and discuss the tragedy. It is therefore still too early to announce support for those affected.
“It’s so sad, so sad for the whole country and even for those who live abroad to hear a story like that,” said Ms.me The.
Susan Shin, who works for a Korean community support group in Toronto, said she heard the news during an online group chat.
“We are deeply saddened. »
Like several other heads of government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences to South Korea.
“I think of those affected by this tragedy and I wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured,” wrote Mr. Trudeau.
The Canadian Press