survivor of the crowd During the Halloween celebrations in Seoul, South Korea told of a frightening experience To see friends and others suffocate in the narrow alleys of the famous Itaewon neighborhood. On the night of 29 Oct.
So far, at least 154 people have officially died.
“People started pushing in from behind. it’s like a wave You can’t do anything,” Nuhyil Ahammed told the BBC.
“I didn’t sleep at all last night. I still saw the sight of the dead in front of me.”
A 32-year-old Indian man, speaking to the BBC on Sunday afternoon (Oct 30), said he was stuck in the midst of crowding. And in that situation, no one can do anything. whether to help yourself or others
Video images published on social media Demonstrates a panic situation. Pumping the heart of an unconscious man on the street Ahammed himself also shared his experiences on Instagram.
The images he recorded It shows youngsters, around 20 years old, packed into narrow alleys until they can’t move. Then the crowd began to push each other in all directions. Some were pulled to the ground. Many people were suffocating.
near death experience
Ahammad is an IT officer from India based in Seoul. He has been attending Halloween celebrations in Itaewon for the past 5 years.
But he said last year there were more police officers in the area. but must admit There were many people entering the area that he had never seen before. and no measures “Crowd control” in any way
Ahammad was traveling to Itaewon with his friends back then. Why would you want to go into this narrow alley, knowing that it’s a nightlife destination for costume-wearing people attending Halloween? But as soon as he could not move He knew that something was going wrong.
BBC
caption,
Nuhyil Ahammed narrowly escaped.
“Even if you stand still Someone pushes you from the front and the back. It happened so many times that I realized that. it’s already abnormal I was terrified of what was going to happen.”
He stated that he fell once. but can pull himself up on the steps on the side of the alley “A woman wearing angel wings call me up So I was able to climb the higher stairs.”
“People were suffocating, screaming, being squeezed, falling, there were really a lot of people.”
“I’m on the stairs. see everything that happens People don’t know how to act. And it can’t do anything.”
Ahammad admits that he felt useless to see people die face to face. He was afraid that what would happen to his friend and tried to call him. but they don’t answer but a few hours later He found that his friends had slipped out of the area as well.
He wasn’t aware of what was going on well enough. until the crowd began to disintegrate and an ambulance arrived “They started pulling bodies from beneath… A man learns that his friend is dead. But it continued to pump my heart for 30 minutes.”
Ahammad remembered another friend of this man. try to ask to stop But the young man continued to pump his heart, but beside him, some were still wearing makeup as if nothing had happened.
The laughter turned into a cry.
image source, Reuters
caption,
The laughter turned into a cry.
The severity of the tragedy was gradually revealed. The ambulance was full of injured people. Authorities had to place the body of the deceased on the road for hours.
That night, the body of the deceased Some of them are still in Halloween costumes. were placed on the street covered with blue cloth before being gradually carried onto the ambulance At that time, the general public was still trying to help pump the hearts of unconscious people on the streets.
The next morning (October 30), the relatives and friends of the deceased traveled to the scene to remember what happened Although the body of the deceased was taken to a temporary funeral facility. for the family to identify
Itaewon District
Itaewon is one of Seoul’s famous nightlife spots. South Koreans and foreigners Often travel to the area to celebrate on weekends. But Halloween is the busiest season. And the scene of the accident is considered the first Halloween celebration without a mask. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus And this is the first time that the authorities have not limited the number of people to enter the area. and not compulsory to wear a mask outdoors
BBc
More than 100,000 people were estimated to have celebrated in Itaewon on Saturday night (Oct. 29). South Korean Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said authorities did not expect anyone to enter Itaewon. this much
“The number of people in Itaewon It’s not much different from many years ago. So I understand that the authorities have sent officers to take care of security as usual.” And in fact, officers were also sent to other areas around Seoul.
“I don’t know the exact number of officers sent to Itaewon. But we sent an officer to Gwanghwamun Square. There will be big protests,” he said at a news conference.
Mr Lee said some of the wounded and the dead had not been identified. because he is under 17 years old and does not have an identity card
President Yun Seok-yeol has ordered an investigation into the cause of the tragedy. with a mourning announcement across the country