On the evening of October 29, a stampede occurred in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea, killing 153 people and injuring 100 people, including 4 Chinese citizens.
Chinese student Zhang Ruo (pseudonym) is a witness. She said that Itaewon is a gathering place for young people in Seoul. On social platforms, many people come here to check in. "There are many bars, and many young people usually come here." In 2020, a Korean drama " Itaewon CLASS" was popular, which increased the popularity of Itaewon. "The people check in are more and more year by year."
Another international student, Zhang Chizi (pseudonym), recalled that the alley where the accident occurred was only as wide as a front of a car and was about 1 kilometer long.
That night, Zhang Chizi felt something was wrong. People were crowded together, and among the crowded crowd, the people behind could hardly hear the sound in front, and the crowd was still rushing forward. Zhang Chizi felt her breathing was not smooth, and her face was against the back of the previous person. She photographed the crowded crowd and posted it on WeChat Moments: "I haven't seen so many people in my life."
In the early morning of October 30, ambulance workers were working on the scene. Xinhua News Agency /New Xi News Agency
The following is the story of three witnesses.
【1】8 o'clock in the evening: My friend and I moved outside against the wall, walking for 1 kilometer for 1 hour
rulers. 22 years old
I arrived at 6 o'clock in the evening. Because my friend and I just came to Korea this year and wanted to experience the Halloween atmosphere.
Hongdae and Gangnam also have Halloween themed activities, but there are many foreigners in Itaewon, so the festive atmosphere here is the best. plus, this is the first Halloween event since the epidemic in South Korea was lifted, and there is no control over social distance. Everyone comes here to play.
There were already a lot of people at that time, but they would not be able to trample on their feet and could still walk around. There was also a distance between everyone and everyone.
On the way, many people put on Halloween makeup and took photos. The atmosphere was pretty good at that time.
However, around 8 o'clock, we came out of the restaurant after dinner and felt something was wrong. We were already a little scared because the person could not walk at all, and my face was pressed against the back of the person in front.
At 9:05 pm, a corner of Itaewon was photographed by Zhang Ruzi. Photo/Respondents provide
like the Chinese New Year's Eve, and everyone will also go to the square to play. At that time, I also felt that there were many people. But compared to last night, it really is nothing. There are so many people that you can squeeze your feet off the ground.
Even if I didn’t fall down at that time, I had a little difficulty in breathing. Then, my friend and I hid by the wall and walked back against the wall. I held my arms in front of my chest, leaving some space for breathing a little better.
I have 173cm in size. There is a small girl next to me. I feel so uncomfortable when I see her breathing vigorously.
The slope where something happened was the busiest place in Itaewon, with shops and bars next to it. That road is called Itaewon Road, which is about 1 kilometer, very narrow, and is about a width that is only enough for one car to pass.
I walked back at 8:30, and it took at least more than an hour before I walked from the end of the alley to the end of the alley. There are too many people, and you can hardly see the road, you can only see the head. Everyone raised their phones over their heads and took pictures of the front with their cameras to know what was going on in front.
There is no order, and there are many people who are drunk too much. There is a girl next to me who may be drunk and staggering when walking, and it is easy to fall.
Actually, I vaguely feel that something might happen. I was very scared at that time, and at 9:51, I took the subway and left there.
I saw the news around 11 o'clock. I turned on my phone and saw that the group of international students was posting. At first, everyone thought it was a fire and didn't know what happened. Later, videos and pictures were leaked, and many people were helping with rescue, and they knew it was a stampede accident.
I didn't expect the accident to be so serious. In the news, many people were pressed down, and even those who were rescued above could not pull them out.
There are still many people climbing up the wall. Anyway, as long as you can step on the place you can step on, you will definitely step on it and stand at a high place. The air below is really thin.
I quickly confirmed with my friends whether they are safe and everyone told each other where they are.Many people around me are sending messages to find people. There are too many people there and the Internet signal is too poor, so many people cannot contact us. Everyone is anxious and scared.
[2] 11:00 pm: Many people are lying on the ground, with nothing left on their bodies
Zhang Ruo, 22 years old, senior
I arrived at Itaewon at 7:00 pm. In the past two years, due to the epidemic, itaewon's Halloween event has not been done, and it has been held again this year. We just wanted to go and have fun.
When we went there, there were a lot of people, crowded, which was equivalent to being squeezed forward. Just like the kind of holiday tourist attraction.
It is a small road next to the main road, and Then there is a road leading to the street from Itaewon Bar. It is a slope with more people down than those above.
The three of us were already squeezed and almost fell down. My friend said to stand firm, we must stand firm, and then we worked very hard to move forward. We want to stay in a clothing store next to us for a while and wait until there are fewer people before leaving. In the clothing store, we see that people outside can still move. Later, we left there and went to the bar to have something to drink.
While drinking in the bar, a friend asked us if we were safe, and I realized that there was a stampede accident. As soon as we left, something happened later. We were very close to that accident center and didn't know what happened. At around
11 o'clock, I came out of the bar and when I left, the scene was blocked.
Many police cars and ambulances came. Many people were lying naked on the ground, with nothing on their bodies. Many people were doing CPR for them and were pressing them with their hands. Many people were crying on the roadside, and it was heartbreaking to see.
Zhang Ruo's trampling scene photo. Photo/Respondent provided
I heard that when the stampede occurred, there were no police to maintain order, and the number of people was increasing. is very noisy and crowded, and the people in front fall down, and the people behind cannot hear it at all, so they are still walking forward.
When we were walking on the road, we didn't expect a stampede to happen. Still feel scared now. That Halloween event was originally on the 31st, but today it was announced that it would not be held anymore.
When we went home yesterday, we saw that the number of victims was more than 50. Today, when we opened our eyes, the number reached more than 100.
[3] The next day: There are so many people looking for people around me. The school is counting the number of casualties
Xiao Ha (pseudonym) 24 years old, international student
Last night at 8:30 pm, my friend and I went to a tavern in Itaewon for dinner. Because we had to queue up, it was already past 9 o'clock when we went in. When we came out, it was 10:30 pm. After
, we want to go to that bar street because that street is the busiest and the most crowded. Halfway through, I was persuaded to return by the police. We had no idea what was going on, because there were too many people. If you didn’t see it with your own eyes, you wouldn’t know what was going on before.
At that time, I did see many police cars and ambulances. I thought something happened to me, but I didn’t expect so many people to die.
rescue site. Xinhua News Agency/New West News Agency
When the subway came, there were people in the subway, and they couldn't walk at all, people were next to each other.
There is already a crowded scene on the road. I can touch the heels of the person in front of me on the toes. The road during the accident should be that people are stuck to me.
The police said that there was no way to leave before, and many policemen surrounded the piece. I was stunned at that time, and my friend pulled me out.
I saw some people lying quietly on the ground, being rescued urgently, CPR, and seeing them being moved to a stretcher. I think it's scary, how come there are so many people.
And it’s still very crowded, and it’s hard for the rescue vehicle to come in. People are still crowding the car, and the front of the car is full of . I think everyone is also very panicked. Maybe they can't care about the order, so they keep moving forward. Even the people behind may still be unclear.
Now, what I know is that in the Korean study abroad circle, everyone is looking for their friends, and the school has also begun to count casualties. The embassy has issued a notice that if there are any special circumstances, we should contact the embassy urgently.
I'm quite scared, I've never seen such a scene.I didn't fall asleep yesterday, and my phone remained silent until the morning. Later I saw that my family and friends kept calling me, so I sent me a message to report my safety.
Jiupai News Reporter Wan Xuan
[Revelation] Please contact the reporter WeChat: linghaojizhe
[Source: Jiupai News]
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