Terrifying wait for news about those missing after Itaewon tragedy

In the basement of a community center not far from Itaewon, chilling silence is punctuated by the sound of sobbing as a heartbreaking wait continues. Those assembled are there to find out if a friend or relative died in the tragedy that killed...

Families and friends of people missing after a crowd crush in Itaewon Saturday night wait for news in the basement floor of Hannam-dong Community Service Center in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Sunday. [YONHAP]

In the basement of a community center not far from Itaewon, chilling silence is punctuated by the sound of sobbing as a heartbreaking wait continues.

Those assembled are there to find out if a friend or relative died in the tragedy that killed at least 151 nearby, whether their phone went dead or was going unanswered because they were victims of the deadly crush or for some other reason that will later be laughed about: they lost it on the subway; they changed their number; they overslept.

The odds are still good, as thousands have been reported as missing and most of the dead had been identified, but that is small consolation for people who know that police are working to identify bodies, one of which might be of someone close to them.

They started gathering at Hannam-dong Community Service Center in Yongsan District, central Seoul at about 4 a.m. Sunday, just a few hours after the crush in Itaewon was cleared and the living were taken to hospital for treatment and the dead were taken to be identified.

At 9 a.m., the wait wasn't getting any easier.

A couple in their 50s came to Seoul from Daejeon on the first train available after they received news of their daughter from her friends, who said that they had last seen her being carried away by emergency workers from the scene of the incident.

“I got a call from our daughter’s friends saying that our daughter had been lying on the street and they watched as she was carried away,” said the father, choking back tears. “The last message I got from our daughter was ‘Dad, I’m going to Seoul for the first time in a long time.’ She is twenty years old this year. I just hope she is alive.”

A woman collapses after receiving news about a family member outside Hannam-dong Community Service Center in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Many families in the community center had only the most terrifying of clues about the whereabouts of the missing.

“The police found my daughter’s phone around 5 a.m.,” said a woman. “I couldn’t sleep at all and I came straight here — I’m absolutely exhausted and I hope she is alive.”

An elderly man with graying hair was seen crying and asking around if his daughter’s phone, which he received from a nearly police precinct, could be unlocked so that he could find any information about where she might be.

About 30 to 40 people were sitting in the waiting area, most checking their phones for any signs of life.

“My friend’s girlfriend survived after receiving CPR, but I can’t reach my friend,” said a man in his 20s who had come to the center looking for his friend. “I’ve been searching for him since last night going to all the nearby police precincts, the hospitals and gyms, but I can’t find him.”

Foreign residents were also among those waiting for news at the community center.

“I received a call from the police that my friend from Sri Lanka was missing,” said a Sri Lankan man in his 20s, wiping away tears. “I think they called me since he doesn’t have family here.”

Some of those waiting at the community center were survivors of the crush themselves.

“People rushed around me in an instant and I fell down,” said a man in his 20s who said he had gone to Itaewon with three friends and lost contact with one of them.

As morning approached and news of those missing started coming in, some families were left relieved while others were devastated.

After one woman received news her son was found safe and well in Incheon, people sitting around her offered their congratulations. Another woman collapsed after hearing her daughter had passed away.

Exasperated sighs and murmuring could be heard around the basement floor of the community center.

Complaints could also be heard about the response, especially by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

“There were so many deaths so I do understand, but I wandered from hospital to hospital without being able to get a hold of any information on my friend for hours,” said the man in his 20s who had come out to the community center in search of his friend.

“Many of us were not given guidelines,” said Jeong Hae-bok, 56, who had received a call while waiting at the community center that his nephew had died. “I hope they release a list as soon as possible of who is at which hospital and who died.”

As of 12:30 p.m., 140 of 151 of the bodies had been identified.

People wait for news about persons missing after a crowd crush in Itaewon. They comfort one another as they await updates at the Hannam-dong Community Service Center in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The Hannam-dong Community Service Center is continuing to take inquiries about missing person reports related to the Itaewon disaster. It is the only place that accepts on-site visits.

As of 10 a.m. Sunday, a total of 1401 missing persons were reported. Individuals looking for those missing from Saturday night can call the community center at any of the following numbers: 02-2199-8660, 02-2199-8664 through 8678 and 02-2199-5165 through 5168.

Calls are also being accept by the 120 Dasan Call Center.

“We are having difficulty responding to every call because all the lines are flooded,” said an employee at the community center. “The number of calls is increasing as time goes by.”

BY CHAE HYE-SEON, LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]