from the “chaos” in the streets to the deadly stampede, the story of a “horrible” night in Seoul

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A long-awaited Halloween party that turned into a nightmare. Survivors of the deadly stampede that occurred on the night of Saturday October 29 in the Itaewon district of Seoul (South Korea) tell how the events unfolded. Franceinfo traces the thread of the crowd movement which resulted in the death of at least 153 people, and left a hundred injured.

At 7 p.m., “already chaos” at the exit of the metro

The first testimonies report a compact crowd from the start of the evening near the Itaewon metro station. There are thousands of residents of Seoul, but also Koreans passing through the capital, as well as tourists. All are “happy” to be there “after two years of Covid-19 restrictions” tells in Tea Guardian* journalist Raphael Rashid, present during the stampede.

“When we arrived at 7 p.m., it was clear that there were already a lot of people, he relates. Metro workers were trying to push people away who were crowding at the counters. Outside it was already chaos, I couldn’t move.” Several bar customers film the scene while observing, dumbfounded, the crowds in the neighborhood.

The Itaewon district, usually filled with visitors and lovers of South Korean fiction Itaewon Class (which takes place there), quickly became “completely full” relates to the Korean site Korea Times* Beta Bayusantika, a 27-year-old Indonesian tourist who describes himself as a big fan of the series in question. “From the corner of an alley, I saw people trying to extricate themselves [de la foule]it broke my heart.” Known for its Halloween-themed parties, the area is beset by fancy-dress revelers and no less than 100,000 people are massed in this long shopping street, according to local media estimates.

Around 10:30 p.m., several falls reported in an alley

Small jostling ends up leading to a large crowd movement in a small sloping street next to the Hamilton Hotel, a popular party spot for Seoulians. “Six adults would have a hard time standing there side by side” in this alley “40 meters long and 4 meters wide“describes the South Korean news agency Yonhap. “Someone small like me couldn’t breathe, explains a young woman interviewed by the agency*. If I survived, it’s because I was on one side of the aisle. I feel like it’s the people in the middle who have suffered the most.”

Quickly, hundreds of people find themselves crushed under the weight of other revelers who have fallen or are in a state of respiratory distress. Among the victims, a majority young women in their twenties will specify later according to local authorities. On social networks, passers-by located a few meters from the alley post videos showing unbearable scenes with people crushed, trampled or suffocated in the stampede.

Rescue operations lasting several hours

It takes long minutes for the emergency services to succeed in approaching the scene of the incident, before trying to extricate the first inert bodies from the crowd. The police, considered too few by some witnesses, take turns with firefighters and ambulance attendants for several hours to take care of the victims but also dispose of the remains in the main street of Itaewon.

Faced with the large number of injured in a situation of respiratory arrest, dozens of passers-by began to provide first aid and perform cardiac massages in series, often without success. “We have started to receive messages from the government asking us to return home as soon as possible”, says journalist Raphael Rashid. On their phones, passers-by are starting to see “horrible videos” circulating, he continues. “It was becoming clear that something terrible had just happened.”

Around 3 a.m., in the middle of the streets strewn with torn clothes and pieces of costume, a handful of bewildered revelers are still there. But for the emergency services and families looking for a loved one, the evening is far from over. South Korean President Yoon Seok-youl declared a week-long national mourning on Sunday.

*Links marked with an asterisk refer to articles in English


source site-26