Concerned relatives rushed to hospitals in search of their loved ones on Sunday as South Korea mourned the deaths of at least 151 people, mostly in their teens and 20s, who were crushed after a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in a nightlife district in Seoul.
Witnesses said the crowd surge in the Itaewon area on Saturday night caused “a hell-like” chaos as people fell on each other “like dominos”.
Some people were bleeding from their noses and mouths while being given CPR, witnesses said, while others clad in Halloween costumes continued to sing and dance nearby, possibly without knowing the severity of the situation.
“I still can’t believe what has happened. It was like a hell,” said Kim Mi Sung, an official at a non-profit organisation that promotes tourism in Itaewon.
Ms Kim said she performed CPR on 10 people who were unconscious and nine of them were declared dead at the scene. She said the 10 were mostly women wearing witch outfits and other Halloween costumes.
The crowd surge is the country’s worst disaster in years.
Tens of thousands of people were believed to have gathered in Itaewon for Halloween festivities.
Witnesses said the streets were so densely clogged with people and slow-moving vehicles that it was practically impossible for emergency workers and ambulances to quickly reach the alley near the Hamilton Hotel.
There were concerns the death toll could grow as 24 people among the 104 being treated for injuries were in critical condition, according to Seoul City’s disaster headquarters.
The city government said more than 2,600 people had called or visited a nearby city office as of Saturday afternoon, reporting missing relatives and asking officials to confirm whether they were among those injured or dead after the crush.
The dead included 19 foreigners, said Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, whose jurisdiction includes Itaewon.
South Korea’s foreign ministry did not confirm the nationalities of those victims, but said it has alerted those countries’ embassies in Seoul. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua said at least three Chinese nationals were killed.
The bodies of the dead were being kept at 42 hospitals in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province, according to Seoul City, which said it will instruct crematoria to burn more bodies per day as part of plans to support funeral proceedings.
Around 100 businesses in the Hamilton Hotel area have agreed to shut their shops on Monday to reduce the number of partygoers who would come to the streets on Halloween.
An estimated 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon for the country’s biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began. The South Korean government eased Covid-19 restrictions in recent months.
While Halloween is not a traditional holiday in South Korea, and children rarely go trick-or-treating, it is still a major attraction for young adults, and costume parties at bars and clubs have become hugely popular in recent years.
Itaewon, near where the former headquarters of US military forces in South Korea operated before moving out of the capital in 2018, is an expat-friendly district known for its trendy bars, clubs and restaurants and it is the city’s marquee Halloween destination.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a one-week national mourning period on Sunday and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast.
During a televised speech, he said supporting the families of the victims, including their funeral preparations, and the treatment of the injured will be a top priority for his government.
He also called for officials to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and review the safety of other large cultural and entertainment events to ensure they proceed safely.
“This is really devastating. The tragedy and disaster that need not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul amid Halloween (celebrations),” he said. “I feel heavy hearted and cannot contain my sadness as a president responsible for the people’s lives and safety.”
After the speech, Mr Yoon visited the scene of the disaster. Local TV footage showed him inspecting the alley filled with debris and being briefed by emergency officials.
It was not immediately clear what led the crowd to surge into the narrow downhill alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a major party spot in Seoul.
One survivor said many people fell and toppled one another “like dominos” after they were pushed by others.
They said they were trapped for about an hour-and-a-half before being rescued, as some people shouted “Help me!” and others were short of breath, according to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper.
Another survivor, Lee Chang-kyu, said he saw about five or six men push others before one or two began falling, according to the newspaper.
In an interview with news channel YTN, Hwang Min-hyeok, a visitor to Itaewon, said it was shocking to see rows of bodies near the hotel.
He said emergency workers were initially overwhelmed, leaving pedestrians struggling to administer CPR to the injured lying in the streets. People wailed beside the bodies of their friends, he said.
Another survivor in his 20s said he avoided being trampled by managing to get into a bar whose door was open in the alley, Yonhap news agency reported.
A woman in her 20s told Yonhap that she and others were standing along the side of the alley while others caught in the middle of the alley had no way to escape.
Fire department chief Mr Choi said bodies were being sent to hospitals or a gym, where bereaved family members could identify them. He said most of the dead and injured were in their 20s.
Horrific news from Seoul tonight.
All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 29, 2022
“Horrific news from Seoul tonight,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. “All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan tweeted that reports of the disaster were “heartbreaking” and said Washington “stands ready to provide the Republic of Korea with any support it needs”.
The reports out of Seoul are heartbreaking. We are thinking about all those who lost loved ones and hoping for a quick recovery for those injured. The United States stands ready to provide the Republic of Korea with any support it needs.
— Jake Sullivan (@JakeSullivan46) October 29, 2022
The last South Korean disaster this deadly also hit young people the hardest.
In April 2014, 304 people, mostly high school students, died in a ferry sinking, which exposed lax safety rules and regulatory failures.
It was partially blamed on excessive and poorly fastened cargo and a crew poorly trained for emergency situations.
Saturday’s deaths are likely to draw public scrutiny of what government officials have done to improve public safety standards since the ferry disaster.
It was also Asia’s second major crushing disaster in a month.
On October 1, police in Indonesia fired tear gas at a soccer match, causing a crush that killed 132 people as spectators attempted to flee.
After Saturday’s tragedy, more than 1,700 response personnel from across the country were deployed to the streets to help the wounded, including about 520 firefighters, 1,100 police officers and 70 government workers.
The National Fire Agency separately said in a statement that officials were still trying to determine the exact number of emergency patients.
It was the deadliest crushing disaster in South Korean history.
In 2005, 11 people were killed and around 60 others were injured at a pop concert in the southern city of Sangju.
In 1960, 31 people died after being crushed on the steps of a railway station as large crowds rushed to board a train during the Lunar New Year holiday.
