The tragedy, which took place in Itaewon and marked the neighborhood’s first Hallowen celebration without pandemic-era restrictions, happened Saturday night as partygoers crammed inside bars and nightclubs along a narrow alleyway
reports. The tragedy, which took place in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district, and marked the neighborhood’s first Hallowen celebration without pandemic-era restrictions, happened Saturday night as partygoers crammed inside bars and nightclubs along a narrow alleyway. The overflowing crowd created a bottleneck that left many people trapped and struggling to breathe or move with those trying to escape pushing forward and stepping on those who had fallen.
Though the government’s first response center and the nearest fire department were less than half a mile from the scene, emergency responders reportedly struggled to break through the crowds. Police closed the area’s streets to traffic in the wake of the tragedy, while local bars and restaurants put up messages of condolences to the victims in their windows and citizens created makeshift sidewalk memorials out of flowers and soju.
While South Korean police are known for their meticulous crowd control during gatherings like protests and rallies,was notably minimal during the festivities. Witnesses recalled that last year’s celebrations in Itaewon, which were significantly smaller, had a stronger police presence with officers controlling access to alleyway entries and shutting down the festivities at midnight. The lack of police crowd control has drawn widespread criticism and demands for better safety protocols.
A high-school student who was crammed in the alleyway told the outlet how people behind him “fell like dominoes.” “There were people beneath me and people falling on top of me. I could hardly breathe,” he said. “We shouted and screamed for help, but the music was so loud in the alley, our shouts were drowned.”
, 35, described seeing a “sea of bodies” fleeing the alleyway where the majority of the victims were crushed. “It didn’t even occur to me they were running in fear,” she told the
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