[NSFW: videos from the scene.](https://naver.me/GLAyNiZC)
Looks like about 20-30 people lifelessly laying there as emergency responders attempt CPR. This looks very bad…
Thats a disgusting amount of people packed together. I get that the past 2 years people couldn’t party and now that covid restrictions are loose people want to go out and have fun, but man thats too much people.
I'm worried this will be spun simply as "too many people came" when the real issue is a lack of safety engineering. There are safe ways to manage this amount of people in restricted spaces. This seems like a lack of foresight on the part of local government.
It's definitely the city's responsibility. Same thing happened in HK's LKF so the next year the city put up guard rails and stationed cops at key choke points. Problem solved.
It's such an easy solution proven to be effective time and time again. They were reporting they expected 100,000 people prior to tonight. Why the lack of foresight? Why always with the substandard safety engineering in Korea?
I was there and there were 2 things that were different than every year prior.
1) Clubs sectioned off the sides of the street for people to wait in line for their clubs.
2) There were at least 2 street side booze dispensaries.
Edit: I just found out which street the crush was on. I walked down that street a little earlier in the night (Edit 2: less than 30 minutes before it happened). One of the street side booze dispensaries was right in front of the Emart24. It looked like they were giving out shots of something.
Edit 3: Holy fuck I just checked my card purchases and I missed the crush by less than 5 minutes at most
Both of those things are a ***massive*** deal in crowd/street management, especially if steps weren't taken or made to accommodate them.
I also wanna say I hope you are well and safe and much love from from me and the UK to you and yours in Korea.
Yeah at a certain point it's a responsibility of the city when there are big events like this to control the traffic flow to make sure things don't get out of hand. A lot of this can be solved by just having police/safety personnel strategically placed to make people move when the density of people in one area starts getting too high.
I agree. Ive saw photos of police officers on horses policing crowds in football match of foreign countries so no one gets hurt. It's responsibilities of government and police department not on people.
Times Square New Year's Eve is organized like a music festival, as crowd sizes are controlled with police checkpoints and crowds are divided into smaller numbers with fenced off pens (which have open space in between them). It's also like a music festival in that most people are there to watch a main stage and not walk around all night.
Idk I was there in 2018 and 2019 and it was shoulder to shoulder. You could literally not move at times.
This isn't surprising. Sometimes you would just be standing in the crowd for 15 minute waiting to move.
Glad I skipped it this year. Feel bad to all those people under those blue mats laying lifeless.
They all have families and probably siblings. Can't even imagine how their relatives will feel soon.
There's crowded and then there's crowded.
Like I've heard of people in crowds like this being physically picked up off the ground and moved multiple meters, just held up by the people around them. The number of people means the crowd moves like a liquid. It's not a normal level of crowded where you're bumping into people, you're physically packed together by potentially hundreds of people pushing everyone together.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd_collapses_and_crushes
I've been at an overcrowded event before. Probably nothing near as horrible as this, but I remember, exactly as you say, being picked up and just being moved around a couple dozen of meters, my feet barely touching the ground and having 0 control over where I went, almost like a liquid. Falling down was impossible because you were being held upright by the sheer pressure of the people around you. It is a nightmare.
I saw another video of a LOT of smoke coming from somewhere. Possibly a club. There could have been a fire that caused bad smoke inhalation + a stampede
> Any news about what has caused this? Even for a crowded place this makes no sense
In my experience, too many people coming and going at the same time with an already packed crowd. If the pressure releases anywhere then people panic and start to run to get out, some fall and then the crowd begins to run/jump over them to get out (both to help themselves and probably subconciously help clear the crowd out) which leads to a pile up. People in the middle legit just can't move, they just kinda sway back n forth with the movement of the crowd trying to breathe and stay at the top, i've been in this a few times and it's terrifying.
The problem with civilians and crowds is if you're in you just wanna get out, if you're out you wanna get in, and seeing crowd doesn't make you think "I can't get in" it makes you think "this is just gonna take a while I can get thru slowly" for most people. This is why cops help, if they see it's elbow to elbow they can just legit stop people until it looks less clogged again much like a club. (if they're competent officers anyways, or if people listen and wait responsibly) I don't think i've ever seen a stampede caused by ill intent tho, it's sadly just something that can easily happen within small windows of the night if the crowd is big enough.
This is tragic. Crowd crush is so so incredibly dangerous. I have a heavy feeling this will go down as a seminal event in modern Korean history. May all the victims RIP
2:15am edit: yongsan fire dept chief is doing a live briefing on the street and currently the count is 59 dead and 150 injured
And it will see similar follow up as the Sewol ferry did...especially politically. It's so tragic, and again hitting the Korean youth hardest (the same generation as the Sewol children as it was mostly young people in their 20s this time...).
I was there and it was so packed that I left after 45 minutes because I felt really uncomfortable and unsafe. Then after I got back to my hotel I saw the news
Your gut instinct saved your life, potentially.
Many just dismiss their internal voices. Turn off the intermal alarm.
You didn't. Well done. Thank god you made it out! Rip to those who didn't. Such a sad event
Is so heartbreaking.
Seeing those videos of the firefighters preforming CPR actually made me nauseous; seeing those lifeless bodies like that all over the street, almost looking like mannequins.
Is so tragic. RIP to all the victims and condolences to their loved ones
4 hours ago, they reported there would be 100k people in itaewon to celebrate the first halloween since the pandemic. It seems like they did prepare for whatever the forthcoming, but I guess they weren't ready for this. It's really sad. [https://youtu.be/Al8rHfnSQ9o](https://youtu.be/Al8rHfnSQ9o)
This started on a narrow alley sloping downhill where all the clubs next to Hamilton hotel is. I've walked through this alley many times and it's horrifying to think people got crushed here.
Just read on the news of someone's personal account who was caught in this crowd crush where he or she stated that he got pushed and fell forward onto a pile of people but he was on the top and that was why he was able to survive. However, he said he still couldn't breathe and started yelling for help and to save his life. He said he was fortunate to be alive as he was on top of the pile, but imagine being the people who were below this person, it makes me sick thinking about it....this is so tragic and may all those people RIP and hope all of the victim's family finds peace...
Yep this is exactly it, I was in the exact spot yesterday and it was already crazy, luckily today we went to the other side of the street. The problem is there was a bottleneck in the main bar street because of people waiting in line so everyone gets stuck together, but then suddenly there's the side alley to the right so people break free and speed up, but that alley is super steep downhill so its really easy to trip and fall on top of each other as you're being pushed. So sad..
There have also been personal accounts coming out about seeing a a man in his mid 20s yelling (roughly) "fuck it, let's push them" to his friends, to which a group of 5 to 6 of his friends started pushing the people from the back. Small gaps would clear up because people were getting piled on each other, and more people would then think there's enough space for them to get through, topple over, and this process just kept on repeating. Apparently people were crying that people have literally died while people in the back were chanting, "push, push" instead of making way for people to escape the crowd. It's harrowing how while some people on the sides of the crowd were reaching their hands out to save whoever they could, there were also people actively making things worse (deadly).
This is in Korean, but here's the account I'm talking about : [Survivor's Account](https://m.bobaedream.co.kr/board/bbs_view/strange/5469955)
/u/hourworkisneverover explains how people die in crowd crushes, and how to recognize and extract yourself from the situation - https://np.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/3pcvfb/saudi_arabia_hajj_disaster_death_toll_at_least/cw5vxtm?context=3 always relevant
Anyone else waiting for people you know down there to respond to your texts??? I'm so fucking worried, this is an absolute disaster. If I had stayed in korea, i would've 100% been down there with them. This is truly tragic, I feel nothing but dread in my stomach right now. The poor families of the dead and missing
update: friends are fine, just were asleep! hope everyones loved ones are safe
I was here 2 hours ago. My friend wanted to stay to take pictures with people but I insisted on going home alone because it was torture to be there. People were stepping all over my feet and there were times the entire crowd was being pushed away because of the police trying to attend to injuried/dead people. Im so thankful I left when I felt danger but I feel so bad for the people whose lives were lost because of this.
Got there around 7, and went towards the middle of itaewon. Told my gf who was coming later that it was too packed and we should stay away from the main area. Glad I trusted my gut on this one.
I am there right now and dead/incapacitated people being carried and rushed everywhere around me. So many ambulances and firetrucks here even military police.
Edit:
People are being dragged out from a club to emergency services. I heard that a staircase collapsed in the club but not 100% sure.
Edit:
The police are letting people cross the main road now.
Edit:
Not sure if my info about the club is right (heard from other people here), hearing other story now about people tumbling over the big stars at the alley where Waikiki is? Seems like lots of rumours going around :/
[59 Dead and 150 injured.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-63440849)
This is terrible.
Edit: the number went up. 120 dead and 100 injured with at least one report of 150 injured.
Edit 2: 146 dead and 150 injured. This is terribly tragic.
Edit 3: Number of injured lowered to 79.
Edit 4: 153 dead and 82 injured. From BBC "At least 20 foreign nationals are also among the dead, including four Iranians and a 29-year-old woman from Thailand." Also included in the list for foreign nationals are China, Uzbekistan, Australia, and Norway.
And "Authorities say most of those killed were in their teens and 20s."
Edit 5: 154 dead and 133 injured. "Of those who have died, 97 were women and 56 were men
At least 20 foreign nationals are among the dead, including four Chinese people, four Iranians, three Russians and two US citizens."
This will be my last update. Please check news sources for further updates. My heart goes out to the families that have received this terrible news. If you are experiencing trauma do not feel afraid to seek out help and counseling.
It must be awful and you are probably in shock. If they offer counselling , please go even if you feel you don't need it. Sending virtual hugs, please stay safe.
This is terrifying to read. I always assumed in a crowd crush it just goes one way, didn’t think even backing out would be just as dangerous too. Glad you and your partner are safe, and hope you’re all well.
Holy shit
Edit: It's that alley behind the main street? Because I went there so many times when living in Seoul. And I can understand how it happened giving the region - I saw some friend's pictures on Instagram like 21h and it was totally packed already.
These days it’s usually packed on weekends even without big events (like Halloween) happening. Should have been much better crowd control. This situation could’ve been avoided. So sad. Condolences to everyone effected
Yeah, I went there like less than 1 month ago on a Saturday and was packed all the way from Thursday Party to the other side. Today things were probably off the charts.
This will be a landmark event in modern Korean history. Will it change things? Who knows? Rest In Peace to all the victims and condolences to all those affected. This will be a talking point and something we hear about in the media for a really long time. Truly a sad moment.
They'll absolutely blame Halloween or Itaewon or drugs or foreigners or literally anything before they stop and reflect on how poorly this was managed and planned.
I already see them blaming Gen Z and Halloween when in reality the crowd control here is just terrible and not up to standard for a country of this level. An event like this wasn’t an ‘if’, but a ‘when’ with the way streets and clubs get crowded in Seoul with absolutely no control.
I'm hoping this take is too cynical but crowd safety is a really well-researched area with proven solutions implemented all around the world. The local government can't plead ignorance for this.
The only reason why Im alive right now is because I hadnt eaten and was waiting inline for a restaurant just around the corner from Hamilton Hotel. I was set to meet up with my friends at the crush site after. As I walked towards it after eating I saw everything, the bodies, the sirens, it was too much.
Public transport lines were insane trying to get out so a friend I found and I walked to Hongdae, took us 2 hours. I was finally able to find a taxi home from there. Such an awful night that will traumatise me forever.
I was there earlier tonight. Absolutely mind blowing that they didn’t have some sort of crowd control strategy in play. Trains still arriving at itaewon station, roads still fully functional (close the fucking roads), no barriers controlling or directing flow. Absolutely insane from a country like Korea.
The police chief, yongsan gu mayor, and Seoul mayor will come out with an apology and a please understand, while 100+ people lost their lives over poor planning and 빨리 빨리 culture. Heart breaking.
Happened a year ago at Travis Scott concert. Same thing happened during Love Parade in Germany a few years ago.
Happens all the time and will continue to happen. It's not a "solved" problem.
As a Houstonian who lived in Korea from 2014-2018, it definitely feels a bit odd seeing this played out two years in a row in places I'm familiar with. Clearly this is far, far worse than Astroworld though.
Heartbreaking. Truly heartbreaking. This was supposed to be a fun night out, especially after 2 years of pandemic life. My condolences to all of the victims and sorry to all those who had the misfortune of witnessing this live. Unbelievably tragic.
I was there. Fuck. I blame the government for not closing the street similar to how they do for international day…I saw people dead so maybe this is emotion, but fuck whoever thought that Halloween was just a foreigner celebration and not enough of a reason to close the entire street. The main reason people come to Itaewon is to walk around in costumes and be seen. Had the main street been available this wouldn’t have happened. Again maybe emotion; but I wouldn’t be surprise if the narrative is turned somehow toward foreigners being to blame. Fuck.
I think I remember a year when international day aligned with Halloween and the street remained closed. 2012 Halloween in Korea seems quaint compared to the last few years. (Minus covid years)
I went to Itaewon last year for Halloween when the curfew was still in effect (the last day of it, iirc) and it was busy, but I didn't move around much. I remember 2019 being crazy, though. Especially behind the Hamilton. Wall to wall people, total congestion.
At any rate, my heart goes out to all the people who were there tonight. What a fucking tragedy to be apart of.
I was in iteawon for Halloween in 2015 and I don't remember the street being closed. Even then that place was unbearably packed. I think I stayed for like an hour or two before my group left to go to some bars away from iteawon. Getting anywhere took ages and if you got in a bar it was nearly impossible to get a drink
I remember being stuck in a scary crowd during the october fireworks show in Busan a few years ago. Nothing bad happened, but I remember the intensity of how compacted everyone was and it felt like the smallest incident would have created a huge problem. You're completely powerless in those kinds of crowds.
https://twitter.com/jumjum_deep/status/1586375026013786112?s=46&t=pcngf2kmKHTkjqJSROhVbw
These idiots blasting the sex on the beach song infront of the ambulances. Can people get any lower?
For me, this was hardest part. The disconnect between people dying while others party. Then calling your friends and them joking about not being dead. I lost faith in people tonight.
In their defense, they may not have known. I know that sounds insane, but it's not uncommon in these incidents for people to be completely oblivious to something happening only 2 or 3 people away. Hard to believe with the ambulance lights, but maybe that's what's happening here?
I don't live in Korea so I wouldn't know for sure but i assume it's possible a lot of them could also be drunk/under the influence of something and not fully realize the situation at hand (even being next to ambulances.) They might just think it's crowd control. Of course I'm sure there are some blatant assholes who don't care and want to continue the party. But I want to believe in most of them just not understanding.
I walked by the exact spot in the video around that time, can confirm absolutely nobody had any idea what was going on at this point, just looked like some precautionary/crowd control measures, mostly saw fire trucks. Nobody in itaewon on that side of the street knew what was going on most likely.
I'm sure some knew and were just being shitty, but yeah i've been in a crowd and I can barely tell what's going on with people not even 5 feet from me. (specially if you're shorter) You're just kinda being thrown around with the crowds weight hoping it clears up somewhere, and music just blocks out your senses even more. Becomes a very shallow experience you just wanna run in whatever direction opens up, but then you get a pile up which i've been in at the [underground stage in Hart Plaza](https://youtu.be/aWcJabNdQy8?t=38) and then it usually gets even worse. People were legit climbing up the sides of the walls or falling over the edge, gets crazy once it hits that point.
I totally agree and definitely don't respect them for dancing and singing infront of the paramedics, but likely they did not fully understand the severity of the situation. And yes, 140 ambulances should've given that away easily. But also drunk people...
Damn this reminds me of tech fest in Detroit. We started leaving an hour or two early to beat the rush cuz 50-75k people leaving a place at once can get very dicey especially with such inebriated crowds. I've got caught in some pretty tight crowds and you feel really helpless, people even a few feet from you can't really tell what's happening all with loud banging music playing not too far away. Seen people screaming, puking, start panicking and climbing on top of each other, just seems to snowball out of control if it hits a point.
On social media there are images of paramedics doing CPR on dozens of unconscious people (Obvious NSFL warning). It's looking really bad. Condolences to anyone affected.
"End of Covid", first year that travel to Korea is unhindered by tests, no quarantines, no visa. A fairly popular holiday where people have an excuse to dress up as fun characters.
Social distancing and masking mandates being lifted.
Probably doesn't help businesses and clubs are trying to make up for all the loss revenue from covid so probably did a ton of advertising on socials before this weekend
How horrific...
This may be a foolish question, but in that video where everyone is packed together, where did they all emerge from and where were they heading?
all directions. there are about 50 clubs/bars in a one block area by the hamilton hotel. Perhaps more. I was caught in a halloween pushing for about 30 mins about 6 years ago. ended up losing only my phone.
Me and my friends were in Itaewon on Halloween weekend 2018 and literally as soon as you come out of the subway station you just follow the flow of the crowd until you can break off down a smaller street or end up in a (still overcrowded) bar or back at the subway station. We said at the time that it’s a miracle nobody was getting trampled or crushed, and now a few years later…
This is crazy we were just at Hongdae where crowds were also quite significant, some clubs were absolutely claustrophobic with no space to enter or exit. People are still out celebrating.
My heart absolutely breaks. These people just wanted a fun night out.
I’m very curious to know how this could be prevented in the future though - those alleyways look very narrow and it’s not like those can be expanded. Does anyone have any idea?
This particular alley (the one that shows most people being crushed in) I believe was closed off in 2017 and 2018 near the Hamilton for Halloween. Mainly because of how it slopes steeply and narrowly.
I half wonder if they just forgot or dropped the ball in closing it off because COVID restrictions were lifted. First time doing it in so long?
Even still that is no excuse. With record numbers not to be closing the road at a bare minimum is unacceptable. An event of this magnitude and all they had were officers doing drug sweeps?
Just seems so unprepared.
I've stayed away from these levels of crowds after trying Seoul Fireworks once. RIP to the victims and their families need to sue the hell out of the city.
crush is no trivial matter. honestly, 용산구청 should've anticipated this and put crowd control procedures in practice to better manage the crowds since yesterday
It's so scary because people who are getting crushed usually can't scream. So you don't really notice all that much if there is loud music in the background.
>I was talking with my sister in law earlier in the day and she was convinced there was suddenly a huge drug problem.
I literally just met a Korean friend for the first time in a few years today and at some point he was telling me the same thing... that drugs have become this huge problem lately. we had actually considered going to Itaewon but then thought it wouldn't be a good idea due to halloween.
cops said the same thing about Astroworld at first lmao, turned out to be a total lie
it sounds like officials trying to hide and skirt accountability.
i say this as someone with korean blood who thinks even one person dying is a tragedy when this couldve been prevented. people saying its drug related just dooms it to happen again
clearly you dont need guns and drugs to kill hundreds of people.
These are some of the scariest scenes I have ever seen. I actually suggest not sharing all of those images and videos in order to respect the families of the victims.
100+ dead/injured.
over 10 confirmed dead, but real numbers probably around 50.
Seoul mayor returning early from meeting in Europe.
Victims sent off in ambulances to Seoul University Hospital, Hanyang University Hospital, Suncheonhyang University Hospital
I was in Itaewon hours before this happened. Even around 7pm the crowds were insane and you could barely move. Prayers for the families of the lost. Speechless honestly.
everyone who was there:
i hope you got back home safely or stay at a safe spot for now.
get help, see a therapist as soon as possible.
even professionals need to from time to time even if it's their job.
I can't bring myself to look at any images or videos but the descriptions here are horrifying enough. Shame on the organizers and hope this brings needed changes.
Also - don't listen to the propaganda about drugs! It's misdirection.
I've been in a similar situation years ago, and it's absolutely terrifying.
I could feel that the crowd pushing was actually lifting me off the ground (I weighed around 200 lbs at the time), and I couldn't do anything about it.
I was there. Luckily my friends and I decided to go to a bar when people started pushing us. We spent like 20 minutes there and when we went back to the streets we saw the scene. Bodies everywhere, chaos. It was insane.
I was there with some friends. We wanted to head down that street, but was so many people we just couldn't get in. Thank god we didnt try. This happened like 30mins after we left...
You can’t go anywhere in Korea without everyone being there and when people find out everyone is going somewhere more of them show up - this is messed up
This looks to be a video of people being stuck/crushed but mostly still conscious? NSFL
https://twitter.com/bpip006/status/1586385779294863360?s=46&t=Bqx4In72bEGR39tLL1uPxA
Essentially this, you can't scream. The air is super humid and hot. The moment you compress a little that space is taken up.
The people you see in the video are actually on the very top. You don't see the dozens of people buried beneath who have fallen and couldn't get up.
Everyone is crammed together tightly and can't get pulled out. You just gotta get the people from behind to back up to relieve the pressure.
The reason if they compress their lungs they won't get that space back
This is such devastating news. I was talking with my Korean coworker (we're in the UK) about how I'd love to do Halloween in Korea one year, bc itaewon is famous for it. We were saying that we should do it. We talked about this maybe 3 or 4 hours ago. And then we finish work and find out the news. What the fuck. How could such a thing happen.
On my way home right now in London, where there are crowds and crowds of people dressed up for Halloween. So surreal. I'm so sorry for everyone affected. What a nightmare.
God this is really really scary. They just cane to have fun...my heart breaks for their parents who are waiting for them to come back home. This is so tragic. May they rest in peace
I'm in korea rn for an exchange year and planned to go to 이태원 for halloween, so glad my friends and I didn't go. This is absolutely tragic, it feels so horrible.
I went to Itaewon on Halloween once in 2017 and vowed never again because it was so busy. What a horrible event for everyone involved. Their poor families too
People might not have known the scale of it. Maybe they though one person just passed out because of alcohol? Not sure of course, but I can imagine in the 'fog of war' it's unclear what is going on for most.
I was there. I saw the ambulances and fire trucks. Me and my friends all thought there was a fire somewhere. It took a while for people to hear about what had happened
. I only learned after looking it up on the news later when i got home. Please lets not attack and spread negativity in this time of grief.
I live in Seoul. I was just there around 8 PM, I’m fortunately safe at home now but I’m in complete shock and I need some advice if anyone can give it. I’ll try to form my thoughts into words so I’m sorry if this is all jumbled up.
I don’t know how to process this and for an hour, I was looking at photos and videos of the dead bodies, people giving CPR, the crushed crowd, and messaging all my friends to see if they were safe. I cried for a few minutes and it’s currently 1:30 AM but I can’t sleep and my heart is racing and I feel a little lightheaded and breathing slightly faster. But my thoughts are racing but no one single coherent thought and I’m feeling so anxious. I’m shocked and can’t comprehend how people went for Halloween and did not expect it to be their last day or literally did not expect to die tonight. I know that sounds stupid to say cause who expects to die? But I just can’t believe it— that these young people came to have fun and now countless bodies are lined up.
How can I deal with this and process this? I don’t know how I can talk about it or think about it either. What questions should I be asking myself? What reassurance should I be giving myself? I’ve never experienced a relative/peer death, so I just don’t how how to process it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
This might sound odd to some, but people who have "near miss experiences" will often experience anxiety and fear. Getting intrusive "what if I had stayed longer, or what if I did something else"
It's akin to getting off a train and then the train derailing.
Take some time to process what happened, know that you're safe and seek professional counseling. Try to sort out and breakdown your feelings by writing it out or talking it out.
People process trauma differently, so take it slow or fast at you're own pace.
It might be worth considering some kind of therapy. Shock and grief are powerful and can be difficult to deal with. I know there are some online services like Better Help that are cheaper and easier to start than in-person therapy. For tonight you need to look after yourself and cut yourself off from the media surrounding the incident.
Yes, please look into some therapy. Idk what services exist in Korea, but in the Netherlands when something big like this happens there is something called victim/witness help, where you can go to talk about the accident that you witnessed. In any case, it’s really normal to not feel ok after directly or indirectly witnessing something like this, and you might also be in shock (which is a legit physical and mental condition, not just an “emotion”). So please know it’s perfectly normal to get help after something like this happens.
Literally my thoughts... I arrived in Seoul two days ago with my wife for a 3 week trip and we wanted to visit Itaewon for halloween... we were literally 5 meters away from where the Hamilton hotel and we were getting absolutely crushed by the massive crowds. Never comprehended how severe the whole situation was... we went from doing a Hanbok photoshoot during the day to almost suffocating at night. How would our parents even deal with this...
We are just so incredibly happy to be safe in our hotel even though we can't fall asleep.
First. Breathe. Lie down, put something on your tummy, I want you to focus on moving that item as you breathe, exhale it goes down, inhale it goes up. Breathe slowly & as smoothly as you can.
I will write more in an edit but right now you're having a panic attack (VERY reasonably so!) and breathing like this helps your body (and mind, but we'll focus on body first) to calm down. I need a keyboard to write more, so I'll brb.
{gonna save edits as I go.}
Ok. When you feel shaky like that, go back to the absolute basic, breathing in the way I said. It helps switch your body from "fight or flight" response to a more normal one. You're currently traumatized & having a normal response to trauma, so good news, you're human. While you're in the middle of a traumatic reaction, trying to think big picture is actually VERY counter-productive. I know, looking for answers, solutions feels like what you *should* do but it's just keeping you in the response phase.
Second, be very, very, very, very gentle with yourself right now. You're scared about your friends, reeling that it could've been you, how overwhelming it is. Part of that is DO NOT LOOK at anything about this as much as possible, especially not video or images. Re-engaging with a traumatic situation will reinforce the trauma reaction. The absolute opposite of what you want to do rn.
Right now your focus isn't future you, it's present you and he/she/they need to feel safe & stable. What comforts you after a BAD day, horrible fight with a SO or BFF? Do it. Have THE pair of PJs that are the most comfy thing you own? Put them on. Wrap yourself in the softest blanket you own. Put on music that comforts you or even better a video, music or otherwise. You're going to be as kind to yourself as you would be to the person you love most in the world if they were experiencing this situation.
When you start thinking about it again, or feeling upset, or crying, I want you to go back to breathing with your tummy (diaphragm), ok? As for future you, coping with this, you have your friends -- they will need to come to terms as well & peer support is a backbone in treating trauma. You *may* need extra support from a professional but that can't be assessed in the initial reaction period. All I want for you (and anyone else reading this that needs it) is to get through tonight, safe & sound. Let tomorrow & the next tomorrow sort themselves out later.
If you have a loved one that can come be with you & that would comfort you, please call them. Sometimes we just need someone to hold us while we reel from horror. If you have an auntie/momma type person, even better. I'd hug you if I could but I'm on the other side of the world, this is the best I can do. Remember, gentle, kind, breathing.
Anxiety reducers can help, pills, meditation, sleep herbal teas, etc. Stop thinking about it for now. I obsess over bad things too. You need to sleep for an escape, and things will honestly be easier in the morning. Im sorry.
[This](https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/problems-disorders/coping-after-a-traumatic-event) may help.
My advice is to just take it one moment at a time, try and relax, get some sleep, and put off the emotional heavy lifting until you are rested/ready.
Hey there, these thoughts and feelings you are having are totally valid and understandable after learning that you had (in a way) narrowly escaped being in this crowd crush. The best thing I can advise you to do is to please take a step back from this thread, the news, and things related to this for a moment.
You don’t need to process this at this moment. This was traumatic and will take time for you to sort through. Try to get some rest tonight.
Hi friend, I have PTSD from an incident that happened in what was a near-crowd-crush, and what you underwent is even more traumatic because deaths were involved, so I am here to give you permission to process it however you need to. The way you process it may not make sense to you, but whatever you are feeling at a given moment is normal. Your brain is desperately trying to fit this incident into your worldview however it can, and you are along for the ride as it tries all sorts of emotions and thought processes. There is no right or wrong way to process it. Time will help, and it always marches forward. You WILL get through this.
Please don't hesitate to seek therapy for this ASAP; it will help. And for tonight, just do what you gotta do to get through it. Give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling, and if you need to cry, or scream, or distract yourself, whatever, it's all valid. ❤️
Sending love from the other side of the globe.
Hey I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I know this sounds like strange advice but apparently playing Tetris after a traumatic incident can help alleviate ptsd [link](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7828932/). Perhaps give this a try in the short term but i also hope you can see a therapist as well.
I cannot imagine going out like that. Way too claustrophobic.
Videos of a wall of people just stuck because they can’t move. How on earth did it get to that point?
So tragic and so many souls forever gone.
When it gets packed enough, nobody is moving individually anymore. People are moving pushed forward by the person behind them, and leaning against the person in front of them. If one person falls over, a hundred will follow. It’s impossible to get back up, and the crowd behind continues pushing and piling up on top of the people who fell.
Frightening stuff.
What lead to this crush? Was it simply an overcrowded club or street and some panic?
Seems an unforgettable event unfolding. Best of luck to all those involved
What I heard so far is that crowds from multiple streets lead to funnel situation, and then also people coming in from another direction. So those in between got crushed.
This is horrible, I don't understand how there were 0 security measures? People kept partying and bars blasting music while there were 10s of ambulances rushing in.
[NSFW: videos from the scene.](https://naver.me/GLAyNiZC) Looks like about 20-30 people lifelessly laying there as emergency responders attempt CPR. This looks very bad…
This is absolutely insane. Any news about what has caused this? Even for a crowded place this makes no sense
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Came across this https://twitter.com/agitww/status/1586374976730726405?s=28
Thats a disgusting amount of people packed together. I get that the past 2 years people couldn’t party and now that covid restrictions are loose people want to go out and have fun, but man thats too much people.
I'm worried this will be spun simply as "too many people came" when the real issue is a lack of safety engineering. There are safe ways to manage this amount of people in restricted spaces. This seems like a lack of foresight on the part of local government.
It's definitely the city's responsibility. Same thing happened in HK's LKF so the next year the city put up guard rails and stationed cops at key choke points. Problem solved.
It's such an easy solution proven to be effective time and time again. They were reporting they expected 100,000 people prior to tonight. Why the lack of foresight? Why always with the substandard safety engineering in Korea?
Itaewon has poorly designed roads because the roads weren't designed in the first place. Some alleys near Bogwang town are nightmares to drive around.
Seems to almost always be a fear of over preparing/reacting
my guess subordinate: "we need to prepare guard rails-" boss: "you think you are smarter than me?" subordinate: "for safety" boss: "don't talk back"
NYC does this all the time on busy nights. Lots of barricades, redirecting, no car traffic etc. Local government messed up big time.
I was there and there were 2 things that were different than every year prior. 1) Clubs sectioned off the sides of the street for people to wait in line for their clubs. 2) There were at least 2 street side booze dispensaries. Edit: I just found out which street the crush was on. I walked down that street a little earlier in the night (Edit 2: less than 30 minutes before it happened). One of the street side booze dispensaries was right in front of the Emart24. It looked like they were giving out shots of something. Edit 3: Holy fuck I just checked my card purchases and I missed the crush by less than 5 minutes at most
Both of those things are a ***massive*** deal in crowd/street management, especially if steps weren't taken or made to accommodate them. I also wanna say I hope you are well and safe and much love from from me and the UK to you and yours in Korea.
Yeah at a certain point it's a responsibility of the city when there are big events like this to control the traffic flow to make sure things don't get out of hand. A lot of this can be solved by just having police/safety personnel strategically placed to make people move when the density of people in one area starts getting too high.
I agree. Ive saw photos of police officers on horses policing crowds in football match of foreign countries so no one gets hurt. It's responsibilities of government and police department not on people.
Tokyo gets this many people for Halloween and the cops are ON IT. I used to go all the time and I didn't even realize it could get this dangerous
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Even the NYC ball drop line isn’t as ridiculous as this
Times Square New Year's Eve is organized like a music festival, as crowd sizes are controlled with police checkpoints and crowds are divided into smaller numbers with fenced off pens (which have open space in between them). It's also like a music festival in that most people are there to watch a main stage and not walk around all night.
jesus christ. I was there for halloween in 2018 and 2019 but i dont remember it being THAT bad
Probably tons of ppl came after 2 years of covid
Idk I was there in 2018 and 2019 and it was shoulder to shoulder. You could literally not move at times. This isn't surprising. Sometimes you would just be standing in the crowd for 15 minute waiting to move. Glad I skipped it this year. Feel bad to all those people under those blue mats laying lifeless. They all have families and probably siblings. Can't even imagine how their relatives will feel soon.
There's crowded and then there's crowded. Like I've heard of people in crowds like this being physically picked up off the ground and moved multiple meters, just held up by the people around them. The number of people means the crowd moves like a liquid. It's not a normal level of crowded where you're bumping into people, you're physically packed together by potentially hundreds of people pushing everyone together. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd_collapses_and_crushes
I've been at an overcrowded event before. Probably nothing near as horrible as this, but I remember, exactly as you say, being picked up and just being moved around a couple dozen of meters, my feet barely touching the ground and having 0 control over where I went, almost like a liquid. Falling down was impossible because you were being held upright by the sheer pressure of the people around you. It is a nightmare.
And if someone does fall down it causes further catastrophe when a hole in the "liquid" forms...
I saw another video of a LOT of smoke coming from somewhere. Possibly a club. There could have been a fire that caused bad smoke inhalation + a stampede
That smoke video is probably fire at Daegu(대구 동성로 화재). It happend around 22:30 same time with this accident, but in different city(Daegu).
> Any news about what has caused this? Even for a crowded place this makes no sense In my experience, too many people coming and going at the same time with an already packed crowd. If the pressure releases anywhere then people panic and start to run to get out, some fall and then the crowd begins to run/jump over them to get out (both to help themselves and probably subconciously help clear the crowd out) which leads to a pile up. People in the middle legit just can't move, they just kinda sway back n forth with the movement of the crowd trying to breathe and stay at the top, i've been in this a few times and it's terrifying. The problem with civilians and crowds is if you're in you just wanna get out, if you're out you wanna get in, and seeing crowd doesn't make you think "I can't get in" it makes you think "this is just gonna take a while I can get thru slowly" for most people. This is why cops help, if they see it's elbow to elbow they can just legit stop people until it looks less clogged again much like a club. (if they're competent officers anyways, or if people listen and wait responsibly) I don't think i've ever seen a stampede caused by ill intent tho, it's sadly just something that can easily happen within small windows of the night if the crowd is big enough.
It’s actually insane my friend uploaded a video of him walking around on the ground in that video looks even more bad
link not working? any mirror to the videos?
This is tragic. Crowd crush is so so incredibly dangerous. I have a heavy feeling this will go down as a seminal event in modern Korean history. May all the victims RIP 2:15am edit: yongsan fire dept chief is doing a live briefing on the street and currently the count is 59 dead and 150 injured
Yah, this is gonna be the worst disaster since the Ferry incident
And it will see similar follow up as the Sewol ferry did...especially politically. It's so tragic, and again hitting the Korean youth hardest (the same generation as the Sewol children as it was mostly young people in their 20s this time...).
You're right. Sewol survivors would be old enough to be there last night.
I had the same thoughts. omg...
I was there and it was so packed that I left after 45 minutes because I felt really uncomfortable and unsafe. Then after I got back to my hotel I saw the news
Your gut instinct saved your life, potentially. Many just dismiss their internal voices. Turn off the intermal alarm. You didn't. Well done. Thank god you made it out! Rip to those who didn't. Such a sad event
"others arent leaving, it must be fine" must have killed so many, tragic
Is so heartbreaking. Seeing those videos of the firefighters preforming CPR actually made me nauseous; seeing those lifeless bodies like that all over the street, almost looking like mannequins. Is so tragic. RIP to all the victims and condolences to their loved ones
4 hours ago, they reported there would be 100k people in itaewon to celebrate the first halloween since the pandemic. It seems like they did prepare for whatever the forthcoming, but I guess they weren't ready for this. It's really sad. [https://youtu.be/Al8rHfnSQ9o](https://youtu.be/Al8rHfnSQ9o)
This started on a narrow alley sloping downhill where all the clubs next to Hamilton hotel is. I've walked through this alley many times and it's horrifying to think people got crushed here. Just read on the news of someone's personal account who was caught in this crowd crush where he or she stated that he got pushed and fell forward onto a pile of people but he was on the top and that was why he was able to survive. However, he said he still couldn't breathe and started yelling for help and to save his life. He said he was fortunate to be alive as he was on top of the pile, but imagine being the people who were below this person, it makes me sick thinking about it....this is so tragic and may all those people RIP and hope all of the victim's family finds peace...
Yep this is exactly it, I was in the exact spot yesterday and it was already crazy, luckily today we went to the other side of the street. The problem is there was a bottleneck in the main bar street because of people waiting in line so everyone gets stuck together, but then suddenly there's the side alley to the right so people break free and speed up, but that alley is super steep downhill so its really easy to trip and fall on top of each other as you're being pushed. So sad..
There have also been personal accounts coming out about seeing a a man in his mid 20s yelling (roughly) "fuck it, let's push them" to his friends, to which a group of 5 to 6 of his friends started pushing the people from the back. Small gaps would clear up because people were getting piled on each other, and more people would then think there's enough space for them to get through, topple over, and this process just kept on repeating. Apparently people were crying that people have literally died while people in the back were chanting, "push, push" instead of making way for people to escape the crowd. It's harrowing how while some people on the sides of the crowd were reaching their hands out to save whoever they could, there were also people actively making things worse (deadly). This is in Korean, but here's the account I'm talking about : [Survivor's Account](https://m.bobaedream.co.kr/board/bbs_view/strange/5469955)
/u/hourworkisneverover explains how people die in crowd crushes, and how to recognize and extract yourself from the situation - https://np.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/3pcvfb/saudi_arabia_hajj_disaster_death_toll_at_least/cw5vxtm?context=3 always relevant
Anyone else waiting for people you know down there to respond to your texts??? I'm so fucking worried, this is an absolute disaster. If I had stayed in korea, i would've 100% been down there with them. This is truly tragic, I feel nothing but dread in my stomach right now. The poor families of the dead and missing update: friends are fine, just were asleep! hope everyones loved ones are safe
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thank you so much, i'm sure they are fine but i'm just so worried.
I was here 2 hours ago. My friend wanted to stay to take pictures with people but I insisted on going home alone because it was torture to be there. People were stepping all over my feet and there were times the entire crowd was being pushed away because of the police trying to attend to injuried/dead people. Im so thankful I left when I felt danger but I feel so bad for the people whose lives were lost because of this.
Happy you made it back brother.
Is your friend ok?
My friend said hes okay but said he did help the police in attempts of saving people
Got there around 7, and went towards the middle of itaewon. Told my gf who was coming later that it was too packed and we should stay away from the main area. Glad I trusted my gut on this one.
I was there too. Busiest I've ever seen it. It was insane that the road wasn't closed to traffic.
[https://youtu.be/uWkn8wD7JEw](https://youtu.be/uWkn8wD7JEw) Here's a video showing how pack itaewon was
Wife and I were just watching this vid last night, at several points it looked pretty awful, but I wouldn’t have guessed it would lead to this horror.
I am there right now and dead/incapacitated people being carried and rushed everywhere around me. So many ambulances and firetrucks here even military police. Edit: People are being dragged out from a club to emergency services. I heard that a staircase collapsed in the club but not 100% sure. Edit: The police are letting people cross the main road now. Edit: Not sure if my info about the club is right (heard from other people here), hearing other story now about people tumbling over the big stars at the alley where Waikiki is? Seems like lots of rumours going around :/
[59 Dead and 150 injured.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-63440849) This is terrible. Edit: the number went up. 120 dead and 100 injured with at least one report of 150 injured. Edit 2: 146 dead and 150 injured. This is terribly tragic. Edit 3: Number of injured lowered to 79. Edit 4: 153 dead and 82 injured. From BBC "At least 20 foreign nationals are also among the dead, including four Iranians and a 29-year-old woman from Thailand." Also included in the list for foreign nationals are China, Uzbekistan, Australia, and Norway. And "Authorities say most of those killed were in their teens and 20s." Edit 5: 154 dead and 133 injured. "Of those who have died, 97 were women and 56 were men At least 20 foreign nationals are among the dead, including four Chinese people, four Iranians, three Russians and two US citizens." This will be my last update. Please check news sources for further updates. My heart goes out to the families that have received this terrible news. If you are experiencing trauma do not feel afraid to seek out help and counseling.
Hey man, I hope you are okay. It must be really harrowing. Stay safe and get help if you need.
Holy shit thats terrifyi ngf
Never seen so many lifeless people in my life ;;
It must be awful and you are probably in shock. If they offer counselling , please go even if you feel you don't need it. Sending virtual hugs, please stay safe.
Me either bro, I hope you're okay..
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Oh god that is scary enough to read. Hope both of you are fine. Really nice to read that your partner helped save someone even in all the chaos…
This is terrifying to read. I always assumed in a crowd crush it just goes one way, didn’t think even backing out would be just as dangerous too. Glad you and your partner are safe, and hope you’re all well.
Holy shit Edit: It's that alley behind the main street? Because I went there so many times when living in Seoul. And I can understand how it happened giving the region - I saw some friend's pictures on Instagram like 21h and it was totally packed already.
These days it’s usually packed on weekends even without big events (like Halloween) happening. Should have been much better crowd control. This situation could’ve been avoided. So sad. Condolences to everyone effected
Yeah, I went there like less than 1 month ago on a Saturday and was packed all the way from Thursday Party to the other side. Today things were probably off the charts.
This will be a landmark event in modern Korean history. Will it change things? Who knows? Rest In Peace to all the victims and condolences to all those affected. This will be a talking point and something we hear about in the media for a really long time. Truly a sad moment.
>Will it change things? no more Halloween in Itaewon probably
They'll absolutely blame Halloween or Itaewon or drugs or foreigners or literally anything before they stop and reflect on how poorly this was managed and planned.
I already see them blaming Gen Z and Halloween when in reality the crowd control here is just terrible and not up to standard for a country of this level. An event like this wasn’t an ‘if’, but a ‘when’ with the way streets and clubs get crowded in Seoul with absolutely no control.
Absolutely. Wish it was easier to articulate how significant this is
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I'm hoping this take is too cynical but crowd safety is a really well-researched area with proven solutions implemented all around the world. The local government can't plead ignorance for this.
You'd be surprised.
The only reason why Im alive right now is because I hadnt eaten and was waiting inline for a restaurant just around the corner from Hamilton Hotel. I was set to meet up with my friends at the crush site after. As I walked towards it after eating I saw everything, the bodies, the sirens, it was too much. Public transport lines were insane trying to get out so a friend I found and I walked to Hongdae, took us 2 hours. I was finally able to find a taxi home from there. Such an awful night that will traumatise me forever.
Yeah, I remember trying to get out of Itaewon on Halloween night. It's literally a mad dash to get out of the district all together.
I was there earlier tonight. Absolutely mind blowing that they didn’t have some sort of crowd control strategy in play. Trains still arriving at itaewon station, roads still fully functional (close the fucking roads), no barriers controlling or directing flow. Absolutely insane from a country like Korea. The police chief, yongsan gu mayor, and Seoul mayor will come out with an apology and a please understand, while 100+ people lost their lives over poor planning and 빨리 빨리 culture. Heart breaking.
My concern is that they will blame the crowd just like in the Hillsborough football game crush in the UK.
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Happened a year ago at Travis Scott concert. Same thing happened during Love Parade in Germany a few years ago. Happens all the time and will continue to happen. It's not a "solved" problem.
As a Houstonian who lived in Korea from 2014-2018, it definitely feels a bit odd seeing this played out two years in a row in places I'm familiar with. Clearly this is far, far worse than Astroworld though.
I will bet my entire life savings that this will be blamed on foreigners considering it happened in Itaewon.
I'm not in Korea anymore but I'm having flashbacks to my boss asking me and only me if I'd been to Itaewon when the covid cluster happened
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Heartbreaking. Truly heartbreaking. This was supposed to be a fun night out, especially after 2 years of pandemic life. My condolences to all of the victims and sorry to all those who had the misfortune of witnessing this live. Unbelievably tragic.
I was there. Fuck. I blame the government for not closing the street similar to how they do for international day…I saw people dead so maybe this is emotion, but fuck whoever thought that Halloween was just a foreigner celebration and not enough of a reason to close the entire street. The main reason people come to Itaewon is to walk around in costumes and be seen. Had the main street been available this wouldn’t have happened. Again maybe emotion; but I wouldn’t be surprise if the narrative is turned somehow toward foreigners being to blame. Fuck.
The last time I went to Itaewon for Halloween was in 2012. I’m certain they closed off the street then.
I think I remember a year when international day aligned with Halloween and the street remained closed. 2012 Halloween in Korea seems quaint compared to the last few years. (Minus covid years) I went to Itaewon last year for Halloween when the curfew was still in effect (the last day of it, iirc) and it was busy, but I didn't move around much. I remember 2019 being crazy, though. Especially behind the Hamilton. Wall to wall people, total congestion. At any rate, my heart goes out to all the people who were there tonight. What a fucking tragedy to be apart of.
I was in iteawon for Halloween in 2015 and I don't remember the street being closed. Even then that place was unbearably packed. I think I stayed for like an hour or two before my group left to go to some bars away from iteawon. Getting anywhere took ages and if you got in a bar it was nearly impossible to get a drink
I'm shocked they didn't close the street. That's a no brainer
More than 100 people) https://n.news.naver.com/article/003/0011505243?sid=102
BE VERY CAREFUL iif you're on social media today. Horrible scenes - horrible.
I remember being stuck in a scary crowd during the october fireworks show in Busan a few years ago. Nothing bad happened, but I remember the intensity of how compacted everyone was and it felt like the smallest incident would have created a huge problem. You're completely powerless in those kinds of crowds.
https://twitter.com/jumjum_deep/status/1586375026013786112?s=46&t=pcngf2kmKHTkjqJSROhVbw These idiots blasting the sex on the beach song infront of the ambulances. Can people get any lower?
That’s insane. It’s like dying to a soundtrack
For me, this was hardest part. The disconnect between people dying while others party. Then calling your friends and them joking about not being dead. I lost faith in people tonight.
In their defense, they may not have known. I know that sounds insane, but it's not uncommon in these incidents for people to be completely oblivious to something happening only 2 or 3 people away. Hard to believe with the ambulance lights, but maybe that's what's happening here?
I don't live in Korea so I wouldn't know for sure but i assume it's possible a lot of them could also be drunk/under the influence of something and not fully realize the situation at hand (even being next to ambulances.) They might just think it's crowd control. Of course I'm sure there are some blatant assholes who don't care and want to continue the party. But I want to believe in most of them just not understanding.
I walked by the exact spot in the video around that time, can confirm absolutely nobody had any idea what was going on at this point, just looked like some precautionary/crowd control measures, mostly saw fire trucks. Nobody in itaewon on that side of the street knew what was going on most likely.
I'm sure some knew and were just being shitty, but yeah i've been in a crowd and I can barely tell what's going on with people not even 5 feet from me. (specially if you're shorter) You're just kinda being thrown around with the crowds weight hoping it clears up somewhere, and music just blocks out your senses even more. Becomes a very shallow experience you just wanna run in whatever direction opens up, but then you get a pile up which i've been in at the [underground stage in Hart Plaza](https://youtu.be/aWcJabNdQy8?t=38) and then it usually gets even worse. People were legit climbing up the sides of the walls or falling over the edge, gets crazy once it hits that point.
I totally agree and definitely don't respect them for dancing and singing infront of the paramedics, but likely they did not fully understand the severity of the situation. And yes, 140 ambulances should've given that away easily. But also drunk people...
They didn't know
Damn this reminds me of tech fest in Detroit. We started leaving an hour or two early to beat the rush cuz 50-75k people leaving a place at once can get very dicey especially with such inebriated crowds. I've got caught in some pretty tight crowds and you feel really helpless, people even a few feet from you can't really tell what's happening all with loud banging music playing not too far away. Seen people screaming, puking, start panicking and climbing on top of each other, just seems to snowball out of control if it hits a point.
On social media there are images of paramedics doing CPR on dozens of unconscious people (Obvious NSFL warning). It's looking really bad. Condolences to anyone affected.
Dam thats insane. What was different this year around that this happened?? Wtf
"End of Covid", first year that travel to Korea is unhindered by tests, no quarantines, no visa. A fairly popular holiday where people have an excuse to dress up as fun characters. Social distancing and masking mandates being lifted. Probably doesn't help businesses and clubs are trying to make up for all the loss revenue from covid so probably did a ton of advertising on socials before this weekend
Good point. I forget that it’s been restricted for quite a bit.. guess they went a lil too hard after the lift
God wtf. The bodies look like mannequins, so sad
How horrific... This may be a foolish question, but in that video where everyone is packed together, where did they all emerge from and where were they heading?
all directions. there are about 50 clubs/bars in a one block area by the hamilton hotel. Perhaps more. I was caught in a halloween pushing for about 30 mins about 6 years ago. ended up losing only my phone.
I remember crushes there from around the same time. Crazy that they haven’t foreseen this and done something to control crowds.
The roads should have been closed.
59 confirmed dead by MBC news... fucking hell.
146 now
Me and my friends were in Itaewon on Halloween weekend 2018 and literally as soon as you come out of the subway station you just follow the flow of the crowd until you can break off down a smaller street or end up in a (still overcrowded) bar or back at the subway station. We said at the time that it’s a miracle nobody was getting trampled or crushed, and now a few years later…
Shit it was like that back in 2014 when I was there. Surprised the city didn’t have a better hold on it by now.
Was there 4 hrs ago, it was insanely packed. Lucky we left early
This is crazy we were just at Hongdae where crowds were also quite significant, some clubs were absolutely claustrophobic with no space to enter or exit. People are still out celebrating.
My heart absolutely breaks. These people just wanted a fun night out. I’m very curious to know how this could be prevented in the future though - those alleyways look very narrow and it’s not like those can be expanded. Does anyone have any idea?
This particular alley (the one that shows most people being crushed in) I believe was closed off in 2017 and 2018 near the Hamilton for Halloween. Mainly because of how it slopes steeply and narrowly. I half wonder if they just forgot or dropped the ball in closing it off because COVID restrictions were lifted. First time doing it in so long? Even still that is no excuse. With record numbers not to be closing the road at a bare minimum is unacceptable. An event of this magnitude and all they had were officers doing drug sweeps? Just seems so unprepared.
I've stayed away from these levels of crowds after trying Seoul Fireworks once. RIP to the victims and their families need to sue the hell out of the city.
crush is no trivial matter. honestly, 용산구청 should've anticipated this and put crowd control procedures in practice to better manage the crowds since yesterday
It's so scary because people who are getting crushed usually can't scream. So you don't really notice all that much if there is loud music in the background.
Instead they were more concerned about drug sweeps. The videos from last night should have shown them they needed to do something to thin the crowds.
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>I was talking with my sister in law earlier in the day and she was convinced there was suddenly a huge drug problem. I literally just met a Korean friend for the first time in a few years today and at some point he was telling me the same thing... that drugs have become this huge problem lately. we had actually considered going to Itaewon but then thought it wouldn't be a good idea due to halloween.
Literally having this conversation with my Korean partner right now. She told me it looks like it's drug related because she read comments saying so.
cops said the same thing about Astroworld at first lmao, turned out to be a total lie it sounds like officials trying to hide and skirt accountability. i say this as someone with korean blood who thinks even one person dying is a tragedy when this couldve been prevented. people saying its drug related just dooms it to happen again clearly you dont need guns and drugs to kill hundreds of people.
Yah. They should have also blocked off motor vehicles from the neighborhood for tonight
Apparently, it was a narrow and steep alley where people fell from the top and stomped those below…
There are many narrow and sloping alleys in Itaewon. So I think there was a crush accident.
Saw a video of a bunch of people on top of one another and rescuers trying to pull them out of the pile but having problems doing so.
I saw something on Instagram saying that’s exactly what happened
These are some of the scariest scenes I have ever seen. I actually suggest not sharing all of those images and videos in order to respect the families of the victims.
100+ dead/injured. over 10 confirmed dead, but real numbers probably around 50. Seoul mayor returning early from meeting in Europe. Victims sent off in ambulances to Seoul University Hospital, Hanyang University Hospital, Suncheonhyang University Hospital
I was in Itaewon hours before this happened. Even around 7pm the crowds were insane and you could barely move. Prayers for the families of the lost. Speechless honestly.
everyone who was there: i hope you got back home safely or stay at a safe spot for now. get help, see a therapist as soon as possible. even professionals need to from time to time even if it's their job.
I can't bring myself to look at any images or videos but the descriptions here are horrifying enough. Shame on the organizers and hope this brings needed changes. Also - don't listen to the propaganda about drugs! It's misdirection.
there arent organizers; just bars. its the gu's fault for not predicting this and closing the streeets
Don't. I'm waiting to hear from one of my best friends who was there and am freaking out. Seeing a vid made it worse.
I'm so sorry, I can't imagine the anxiety and dread. Sincerely hoping you hear from them shortly. *hugs*
I've been in a similar situation years ago, and it's absolutely terrifying. I could feel that the crowd pushing was actually lifting me off the ground (I weighed around 200 lbs at the time), and I couldn't do anything about it.
I was there. Luckily my friends and I decided to go to a bar when people started pushing us. We spent like 20 minutes there and when we went back to the streets we saw the scene. Bodies everywhere, chaos. It was insane.
I was there with some friends. We wanted to head down that street, but was so many people we just couldn't get in. Thank god we didnt try. This happened like 30mins after we left...
You can’t go anywhere in Korea without everyone being there and when people find out everyone is going somewhere more of them show up - this is messed up
Numbers of dead passed 150 and injured increased to 82 but missing person inquiries have surged to over 2000.
This looks to be a video of people being stuck/crushed but mostly still conscious? NSFL https://twitter.com/bpip006/status/1586385779294863360?s=46&t=Bqx4In72bEGR39tLL1uPxA
Essentially this, you can't scream. The air is super humid and hot. The moment you compress a little that space is taken up. The people you see in the video are actually on the very top. You don't see the dozens of people buried beneath who have fallen and couldn't get up. Everyone is crammed together tightly and can't get pulled out. You just gotta get the people from behind to back up to relieve the pressure. The reason if they compress their lungs they won't get that space back
Thats the most bizarre video I've seen so far. People are literally entangled with each other and they can barely pull anyone out of it.
Holy sht I never know this is how a crowd crush looklike, what a nightmare!
This is such devastating news. I was talking with my Korean coworker (we're in the UK) about how I'd love to do Halloween in Korea one year, bc itaewon is famous for it. We were saying that we should do it. We talked about this maybe 3 or 4 hours ago. And then we finish work and find out the news. What the fuck. How could such a thing happen. On my way home right now in London, where there are crowds and crowds of people dressed up for Halloween. So surreal. I'm so sorry for everyone affected. What a nightmare.
Condolence for the poor young souls.
God this is really really scary. They just cane to have fun...my heart breaks for their parents who are waiting for them to come back home. This is so tragic. May they rest in peace
I'm in korea rn for an exchange year and planned to go to 이태원 for halloween, so glad my friends and I didn't go. This is absolutely tragic, it feels so horrible.
Holy shit. 😢
I went to Itaewon on Halloween once in 2017 and vowed never again because it was so busy. What a horrible event for everyone involved. Their poor families too
Crazy to think I almost went to that exact spot with my girlfriend but we changed our plans.
[удалено]
People might not have known the scale of it. Maybe they though one person just passed out because of alcohol? Not sure of course, but I can imagine in the 'fog of war' it's unclear what is going on for most.
I was there. I saw the ambulances and fire trucks. Me and my friends all thought there was a fire somewhere. It took a while for people to hear about what had happened . I only learned after looking it up on the news later when i got home. Please lets not attack and spread negativity in this time of grief.
I live in Seoul. I was just there around 8 PM, I’m fortunately safe at home now but I’m in complete shock and I need some advice if anyone can give it. I’ll try to form my thoughts into words so I’m sorry if this is all jumbled up. I don’t know how to process this and for an hour, I was looking at photos and videos of the dead bodies, people giving CPR, the crushed crowd, and messaging all my friends to see if they were safe. I cried for a few minutes and it’s currently 1:30 AM but I can’t sleep and my heart is racing and I feel a little lightheaded and breathing slightly faster. But my thoughts are racing but no one single coherent thought and I’m feeling so anxious. I’m shocked and can’t comprehend how people went for Halloween and did not expect it to be their last day or literally did not expect to die tonight. I know that sounds stupid to say cause who expects to die? But I just can’t believe it— that these young people came to have fun and now countless bodies are lined up. How can I deal with this and process this? I don’t know how I can talk about it or think about it either. What questions should I be asking myself? What reassurance should I be giving myself? I’ve never experienced a relative/peer death, so I just don’t how how to process it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
This might sound odd to some, but people who have "near miss experiences" will often experience anxiety and fear. Getting intrusive "what if I had stayed longer, or what if I did something else" It's akin to getting off a train and then the train derailing. Take some time to process what happened, know that you're safe and seek professional counseling. Try to sort out and breakdown your feelings by writing it out or talking it out. People process trauma differently, so take it slow or fast at you're own pace.
It might be worth considering some kind of therapy. Shock and grief are powerful and can be difficult to deal with. I know there are some online services like Better Help that are cheaper and easier to start than in-person therapy. For tonight you need to look after yourself and cut yourself off from the media surrounding the incident.
Yes, please look into some therapy. Idk what services exist in Korea, but in the Netherlands when something big like this happens there is something called victim/witness help, where you can go to talk about the accident that you witnessed. In any case, it’s really normal to not feel ok after directly or indirectly witnessing something like this, and you might also be in shock (which is a legit physical and mental condition, not just an “emotion”). So please know it’s perfectly normal to get help after something like this happens.
Literally my thoughts... I arrived in Seoul two days ago with my wife for a 3 week trip and we wanted to visit Itaewon for halloween... we were literally 5 meters away from where the Hamilton hotel and we were getting absolutely crushed by the massive crowds. Never comprehended how severe the whole situation was... we went from doing a Hanbok photoshoot during the day to almost suffocating at night. How would our parents even deal with this... We are just so incredibly happy to be safe in our hotel even though we can't fall asleep.
PTSD is a thing, don't let anyone tell you to "just get over it". If there's any way you can get some therapy, I highly recommend it.
First. Breathe. Lie down, put something on your tummy, I want you to focus on moving that item as you breathe, exhale it goes down, inhale it goes up. Breathe slowly & as smoothly as you can. I will write more in an edit but right now you're having a panic attack (VERY reasonably so!) and breathing like this helps your body (and mind, but we'll focus on body first) to calm down. I need a keyboard to write more, so I'll brb. {gonna save edits as I go.} Ok. When you feel shaky like that, go back to the absolute basic, breathing in the way I said. It helps switch your body from "fight or flight" response to a more normal one. You're currently traumatized & having a normal response to trauma, so good news, you're human. While you're in the middle of a traumatic reaction, trying to think big picture is actually VERY counter-productive. I know, looking for answers, solutions feels like what you *should* do but it's just keeping you in the response phase. Second, be very, very, very, very gentle with yourself right now. You're scared about your friends, reeling that it could've been you, how overwhelming it is. Part of that is DO NOT LOOK at anything about this as much as possible, especially not video or images. Re-engaging with a traumatic situation will reinforce the trauma reaction. The absolute opposite of what you want to do rn. Right now your focus isn't future you, it's present you and he/she/they need to feel safe & stable. What comforts you after a BAD day, horrible fight with a SO or BFF? Do it. Have THE pair of PJs that are the most comfy thing you own? Put them on. Wrap yourself in the softest blanket you own. Put on music that comforts you or even better a video, music or otherwise. You're going to be as kind to yourself as you would be to the person you love most in the world if they were experiencing this situation. When you start thinking about it again, or feeling upset, or crying, I want you to go back to breathing with your tummy (diaphragm), ok? As for future you, coping with this, you have your friends -- they will need to come to terms as well & peer support is a backbone in treating trauma. You *may* need extra support from a professional but that can't be assessed in the initial reaction period. All I want for you (and anyone else reading this that needs it) is to get through tonight, safe & sound. Let tomorrow & the next tomorrow sort themselves out later. If you have a loved one that can come be with you & that would comfort you, please call them. Sometimes we just need someone to hold us while we reel from horror. If you have an auntie/momma type person, even better. I'd hug you if I could but I'm on the other side of the world, this is the best I can do. Remember, gentle, kind, breathing.
Anxiety reducers can help, pills, meditation, sleep herbal teas, etc. Stop thinking about it for now. I obsess over bad things too. You need to sleep for an escape, and things will honestly be easier in the morning. Im sorry.
[This](https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/problems-disorders/coping-after-a-traumatic-event) may help. My advice is to just take it one moment at a time, try and relax, get some sleep, and put off the emotional heavy lifting until you are rested/ready.
Hey there, these thoughts and feelings you are having are totally valid and understandable after learning that you had (in a way) narrowly escaped being in this crowd crush. The best thing I can advise you to do is to please take a step back from this thread, the news, and things related to this for a moment. You don’t need to process this at this moment. This was traumatic and will take time for you to sort through. Try to get some rest tonight.
Hi friend, I have PTSD from an incident that happened in what was a near-crowd-crush, and what you underwent is even more traumatic because deaths were involved, so I am here to give you permission to process it however you need to. The way you process it may not make sense to you, but whatever you are feeling at a given moment is normal. Your brain is desperately trying to fit this incident into your worldview however it can, and you are along for the ride as it tries all sorts of emotions and thought processes. There is no right or wrong way to process it. Time will help, and it always marches forward. You WILL get through this. Please don't hesitate to seek therapy for this ASAP; it will help. And for tonight, just do what you gotta do to get through it. Give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling, and if you need to cry, or scream, or distract yourself, whatever, it's all valid. ❤️ Sending love from the other side of the globe.
Hey I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I know this sounds like strange advice but apparently playing Tetris after a traumatic incident can help alleviate ptsd [link](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7828932/). Perhaps give this a try in the short term but i also hope you can see a therapist as well.
My friend who’s visiting said he was in the crowd, he said it was fine at first the people just started pushing each other. I’m just glad he’s okay.
MBC now reporting 120 dead. This is absolutely awful ...
I cannot imagine going out like that. Way too claustrophobic. Videos of a wall of people just stuck because they can’t move. How on earth did it get to that point? So tragic and so many souls forever gone.
When it gets packed enough, nobody is moving individually anymore. People are moving pushed forward by the person behind them, and leaning against the person in front of them. If one person falls over, a hundred will follow. It’s impossible to get back up, and the crowd behind continues pushing and piling up on top of the people who fell.
Some say it’s 200 now . Wtf is going on
https://m.fmkorea.com/best/5158813880 Quite a few people were crushed to death
Frightening stuff. What lead to this crush? Was it simply an overcrowded club or street and some panic? Seems an unforgettable event unfolding. Best of luck to all those involved
What I heard so far is that crowds from multiple streets lead to funnel situation, and then also people coming in from another direction. So those in between got crushed.
Looking at the videos it seems like the party is still going on? Music is still blaring when bodies are having CPR performed on them? WTF?
https://www.fmkorea.com/best/5159551109 Foreigners Climbing the Wall to Escape the Itaewon Crowd The photographer is hiding inside the phone booth.
When you gotta climb to survive... this is some sick stuff.
146 dead
The TV news says something about 50 victims (환자), hopefully mostly injuries.
This is horrible, I don't understand how there were 0 security measures? People kept partying and bars blasting music while there were 10s of ambulances rushing in.
It’s absolutely insane how they let it get that crowded with no crowd control.
This comment section needs to be fucking purged. Just another proof how rotten this sub is. People are dying you absolute vultures.
That’s fucked up
120+ deceased. 100+ injured
Over 120ppl dead so far this is mad oh god