Somber atmosphere in Itaewon in aftermath of crowd surge disaster
The area around Itaewon, central Seoul, full of excited Halloween partygoers on Saturday night, turned into a catastrophic scene instantly. At least 151 people died and more than 80 were injured in a crowd crush in a narrow alley near the neighbourhood’s famous Hamilton Hotel.
The celebratory scene quickly turned into a nightmare as screams and cries for help erupted from the crowd, and the sounds of ambulance sirens mixed with loud music continued to flow out of the neighbourhood’s many bars and clubs.
Firefighters and police joined random people giving CPR to unconscious people laying in the streets – many dressed in Halloween costumes – massaging their limbs and trying their best to revive them. But it was no use.
Hours later, Marwan, a 24-year-old Moroccan who has lived in South Korea for six years, was walking around the neighbourhood still trying to process what had happened. “Three of my friends died today. I used to hang out with them every weekend in Itaewon and now they're dead. There were no bodyguards or owners trying to stop the situation.”
“I wasn’t at the site of the accident, but I later saw people being carried away (in stretchers) and it was so heartbreaking,” said Lee Hyun-se, 23, dressed as the Joker.
Yet, though one of the country’s worst peacetime disasters in history had occurred only blocks away, some parties were still being held in some parts of the nightlife district.
At 4 a.m. on Sunday morning, bars located just a 5-minute walk from Itaewon Station were full of energetic Halloween revellers.
“I came out to play (today) so I crossed over (to this side of the neighbourhood) because I didn’t feel like going home,” a 20-year-old female said on the condition of anonymity.
Shin Ji-hye and Jung Min-kyung
The Korea Herald
Asia News Network
