“Pushing, Holding on... Screaming, the People Fell Like Dominoes”

Emergency Rescue: The police, 119 rescue workers, and citizens try to rescue victims from a site where a massive crowd crush occurred on the night of October 29 in an alley near the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Yonhap News

“I heard someone from behind say, ‘Push.’ People in front tried to move back, and the people from behind pushed, so the people in the middle screamed, ‘Help!’ In less than 2-3 minutes, the people fell like dominoes.” This was how Gim (35), who was in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on October 29, described the accident he had witnessed. He said he was watching the crowd that had flooded into the alley from a bar located on the second floor of a building near the site of the accident.

The narrow alley--4 meters wide and 45 meters long--that sloped down next to the Hamilton Hotel, was abuzz with the party atmosphere, but soon everything turned to chaos. Gim told the reporter over the phone, “Since people didn’t know that those in front had fallen, the crowd at first moved to and fro like one mass, with the people at both ends pushing at the same time as if they were in a tug-of-war.” He continued and said, “Then we heard screaming from all over.” Other witnesses also said that the people began to be pushed around at around 10:30 p.m. and about ten minutes later, the people in front began to fall one by one piling on top of each other in five to six layers.

A, a woman in her twenties who was in the crowd, said, “On the way down, a person in front of us fell, but the people kept flooding in.” She described the situation at the time and said, “The person right behind me threw up. There was also a person who’s face color changed instantly.” Yi, a man in his twenties, said, “Since I couldn’t breathe when my body was squeezed, I stood on tiptoes. I hung on by holding the hand of the person next to me. People yelled, ‘A person is dying here.’”

Several witnesses said that the crowd gathered to see celebrities. Reportedly, a number of celebrities, YouTubers, and online streamers (a.k.a. broadcast jockey or BJ) were at the site of the accident.

The tragedy was also broadcast live on the Internet through their cameras. One online streamer went live while caught in the crowd and collected donations from viewers. One foreign YouTuber posted an unfiltered video of the accident on YouTube and later deleted it after coming under fire from the public. A nurse at a major general hospital in downtown Seoul was also criticized after capturing a video of her giving first aid to an injured person and posting it online as a vlog.

According to some witnesses, the Halloween costumes and disguises delayed responses to the accident. Choi, a woman in her twenties, said, “People were lying on the ground and the police and firefighters were performing CPR, but at first, we thought it was a flash mob wearing costumes.” B, a twenty-something man said, “Looking at the pale blue faces of the people, someone said, ‘I can’t tell if this is a disguise or not,’” and added, “I think that’s why some people didn’t take the situation seriously.”

Some people who witnessed the accident said it was “expected.” The area surrounding the Hamilton Hotel was already packed with people six hours before the accident. Yi (29), who was at the Halloween party at 4-6 p.m. on the day of the accident said, “That day, Itaewon was so jammed even during the day that you had to walk sideways if you were to pass by without bumping into anyone.” He further said, “That’s how bad it was during the day, so I can’t even imagine how bad it must have been around midnight.” He spoke about how he and his friend had mentioned the possibility of problems due to the crowd earlier, and said, “Eventually something horrible did happen.”

Gim, a worker who visited Itaewon on October 28, the day before the accident, said, “Even the day before, there was such a crowd that people said someone could die,” and added, “I can’t understand why City Hall and the district office didn’t control the scene.”

Some people complained of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). C, who witnessed the accident, said, “The sight of people alive and dead entangled in one mass was so horrible, it can’t be compared to anything.” She further said, “I try not to think about it, but it keeps popping up in my mind and driving me crazy. I threw up a few times.” Several posts came up on the Internet by witnesses who complained of psychological pain. One citizen wrote, “I felt a sense of relief that I had escaped the scene, but I also feel guilty when the faces of the dead people come to mind,” on an online community.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would provide psychological support to over a thousand people--families of victims, people who were injured, and witnesses--related to the Itaewon Halloween tragedy. The health ministry will form a comprehensive mental support team for the Itaewon accident by the end of the day and send notices to hospitals where the injured are receiving treatment to provide psychological support. The ministry also plans to visit the hospitals where the injured are receiving treatment as well as the joint memorial hall to provide support. To consult with the mental support team, you can call their hotline at 1577-0199.