South Korea woke up in shock after Saturday night’s massive crowds in Seoul killed at least 151 people, mostly young people celebrating Halloween. At the scene of the tragedy, the South Korean president declared national mourning.
Coming to the scene of the tragedy, dressed in a green first-aid jacket, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared national mourning and promised the opening of an investigation. rigorous on the stampede. The balance sheet, still provisional, reports more than 151 dead, including 19 foreigners of various nationalities, wounded and hundreds missing.
Emotion is strong in South Korea the day after these terrible scenes of jostling which took place in the bustling district of Itaewon. On the scene of the tragedy, passers-by still in shock, their faces closed, come to lay flowers in front of the narrow alley. At the microphone of Nicholas RoccaRFI correspondent in Seoul, Canadian lawyer Alexandra Pellec shares that she simply wants to enjoy the festive atmosphere that usually characterizes the Itaewon district on Halloween night.
There were people who took the victims out, dragging them by the arms and then by the legs. We thought it was a fire because they were all gray and not breathing. They took them to the streets, and there were plenty of ordinary people giving massages. There were maybe two or three ambulances, but there were so many people and traffic that they couldn’t get the trucks and ambulances to come. It was really awful
Aiden, his friend, tried to revive some victims himself. He believes that the device was insufficient. ” Last night, we couldn’t find a single policeman. It was really a huge trauma, it was chaos, there was no place to move, it was really chaotic with so many people and cars in the streets “.
“The bars continued to party”
Reached by phone by Stephane LagardeRFI’s regional correspondent, Léo, a Norwegian student in the capital, did not immediately understand the extent of the tragedy: ” When they started to evacuate the injured, people wondered what was going on but continued to have fun. When I came out on the avenue, there were still a lot of people in the middle of the alley. I then saw the police whistling and trying to open the passage to evacuate the victims. There were all these people taken away lying down, who seemed unconscious, and the bars in the area continued to party “.
100,000 partygoers
The causes of the crowd movement remain unknown for the time being, but already some questions are beginning to arise, in particular on the large number of revelers on site and the lack of prevention, reports Celio Fioretti, RFI correspondent in Seoul. Police estimate that nearly 100,000 people had gathered to celebrate Halloween, the first edition of this very popular holiday in the country since the relaxation of restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Too many for the narrow streets of Itaewon, Seoul’s trendy district, where bars and clubs abound.
Before the Covid, up to 200,000 people came to this neighborhood to party. It was yesterday Saturday, the first Halloween party since the relaxation of social distancing measures. https://t.co/DSO9oGI9gQ
— Stephane Lagarde (@StephaneLagarde) October 30, 2022
This stampede is the biggest human drama that South Korea has known for eight years and the sinking of the Sewol ferry costing the lives of more than 300 people.
(And with AFP)