'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEG/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAv/aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAxUA//8QAHxAAAgEEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQMCAAQFEQYSFSFl/9oACAEBAAE/AF4rJoa+4t2LRkg7uicH7gNRA1MFW5UJ80gOvmGevqXNf//EABcRAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAAiH/2gAIAQIBAT8AqYE//8QAFxEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQAREv/aAAgBAwEBPwDbaz//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On October 29, Saturday, a stampede during a Halloween party in the Itaewon district of Seoul, South Korea, left more than 150 people dead and over 130 injured. On October 30, a shocking video of the incident spread on social media, depicting the moment where the crowd of revelers surged beyond control, leading to tragic consequences.
Trigger Warning: The following video may be disturbing to some. Viewer discretion is advised.
In the footage, screams can be heard among the large crowd of party-goers in the district. People can be seen getting pushed into the cramped space between the bars and night clubs, pushing the masses forward.
As more people continue to surge in, the faces of many among the crowd become increasingly distressed, with many attempting to move ahead by pushing and shoving one another. As people seem to lose their footing, the sound of screaming only becomes more pronounced.
The Independent reported that among the deceased victims, 26 were confirmed to be foreign nationals. 37 of the injured victims are believed to be in critical condition.
Majority of the victims of the Itaewon Stampede were young
According to NBC, the Itaewon Halloween celebration was one of the first mass gatherings to take place in South Korea in two years, as a result of the nation's recently lifted Covid-19 restrictions.
NPR reported that there were believed to be over 100,000 party-goers in the Itaewon district at the time of the incident. The New York Post stated that most of the victims were in their 20's and 30's, with a large percentage of them being college students.
According to the BBC, when the surging crowd went out of control, leading to the stampede, many people in the area attempted to help the injured victims with CPR.
In an interview with BBC reporters, Ana, a 24-year-old tourist who was visiting from Spain, described her attempts to try and help the victims.
Ana said that people at the scene were trying to instruct her on how to do CPR, which she had no experience of. She said that many of her efforts were fruitless, as the victims she attempted to help were already dead.
She said:
“They were telling me how to hold their heads and open their mouths, and things like that. I was trying to help but they were both dead as well. I have to say all the people they were bringing in to do CPR, most of them were already not breathing so they couldn’t do anything.”
She added:
“We couldn’t do anything, that was the main trauma.”
The circumstances leading to the stampede are currently being investigated by the South Korean Government. NPR reported that Itaewon and its surrounding areas have been declared a 'Special disaster area'.
