Social media live streams and videos reveal additional information on how a Halloween event in the capital of South Korea descended into chaos.
Thousands of people traveled to Itaewon, a Seoul neighborhood dotted with bars and clubs, for the city’s first Halloween party since the COVID-19 outbreak.
As the night progressed, the crowds increased to unmanageable proportions, and a crush in an alleyway claimed the lives of at least 154 people.
They also confirm a lack of evident police or security presence before the crush.
Halloween festivities
The majority of the revelers attending the events were young, with many arriving via Itaewon train station.
Some Facebook users live-streamed videos of their evenings. At 8:10 p.m., a screenshot from one of these live streams shows crowds beginning to amass on the main road near the station.
The main route is congested, yet automobiles can still drive easily and there is room between individuals.
In the hours that follow, the throngs swell in size. They flow into a succession of little side streets, marked in yellow on the map below, behind the main road surrounding the Hamilton Hotel. These streets are narrow, and those that go north to south are sharply sloping.
At 10:06 p.m., people may be observed traveling freely but slowly in the main east-west alleyway. Some individuals are holding hands to prevent being separated by the mob as they pass an Irish pub in the background.
A denser crowd developed on one of the steep and tight side alleys 150 meters east of where the preceding footage was captured. People were so close together that even the slightest movement sent ripples across the crowd.
Pop music and shouts of despair can be heard in the footage below as a packed audience senses danger.
The residents of this street narrowly escaped the calamity. The fatal crash would occur in another steep passageway on the opposite side of the Hamilton Hotel, as marked in dark yellow below.
This brief clip depicts this lane west of the hotel early in the evening. There are no escape routes from the tight hallway, which has a 20% incline, where the mob is jammed.
Janelle Story, an eyewitness, captured her perspective as the throng rushed from around the corner. The video was recorded at 10:34 p.m.
The story told: “All of a sudden, a tidal wave of people came rushing at us with incredible power and intensity, and I had to stop filming because it became so terrifying.
She was 40 meters away from the alleyway on the western side of the Hamilton Hotel where a crush was occurring. By comparing the façade of the building to current Google Streetview images.
In less than half an hour, a crowded but unimpeded gathering became hazardous.
By 10:45 pm, it was evident that something was wrong. From the main road, live streams depict ambulances and emergency personnel en route to the Hamilton Hotel.
People in the surrounding masses began to realize that a significant incident had occurred. A young man had been live-streaming the celebration with his friends on the street. As they approached the Hamilton Hotel, their disposition altered.
At 11:15 p.m., he filmed the throng dispersing as paramedics carried patients on stretchers.
The video below depicts the scene from which emergency personnel departed. The throng had fallen over due to a surge, which was presumably exacerbated by the steepness of the passageway.
Emergency personnel is seen attempting to extricate those trapped in the crush. Individuals attempt to escape by climbing the walls, while those on a short set of stairs going to a side door of the hotel attempt to lift people to safety.
According to reports, several individuals were stuck for almost an hour. Other online videos depict paramedics and members of the public performing CPR in the aftermath of the surge. These videos are too upsetting to share with others.
