While most people were enjoying the recent weekend, a tragedy was taking place in Itaewon, South Korea. Crowds had allegedly gathered on a sloped alley in Itaewon for Halloween. However, it quickly became disastrous when the crowd turned into came a deadly stampede.
The disaster has reportedly claimed over 150 lives, including actor Lee Jihan, with at least 26 foreigners involved. Thankfully, no Malaysians have been reported as part of the death toll so far. However, a few Malaysians had been present at the scene prior to the disaster. They recently shared their stories from that devastating night.
32-year-old Aziani Ashary had apparently been in the area with a friend around 7:30pm to witness the Halloween celebration. “Fortunately, we managed to leave (the area) before the overcrowding got worse,” Aziani reportedly said. “No one expected this to happen.” The freelance travel agent commented that there hadn’t been any crowd control that night. “Some of them pushed back against the crowd angrily,” she said, adding that she had found it difficult to breathe amidst the mob.
Another Malaysian, surnamed Chong, claimed he too had gone to Itaewon for the celebration. However, he was quick to leave when he saw the crowded area. “The first thing on my mind was, “Oh my God, we need to get out of here now!”” he said. Chong explained he and his friends had planned to go to a bar in Itaewon. However, a huge crowd had blocked them.
“We saw police and the army surrounding the place, and also some people lying on the ground. The people in front of us shouted to turn back as the street was closed,” he stated. Although the 30-year-old university student and his friends managed to leave, they noted a number of people still heading to the area. The group had allegedly been there for an hour since 10pm.
Iteawon may have had an over surge of people. However, according to Abdul Wafi Shaik Abdul Rahman, it wasn’t the only overcrowded place that night. The 27-year-old tourist had apparently been in Myeongdong, only 3km away from Itaewon. Abdul Wafi shared that upon hearing about the crowd surge at Itaewon, he had been worried the shopping district would meet the same fate.
“The people in South Korea are mourning,” Abdul Wafi said. “They are very upset that this has happened. Everyone here is talking about it.” Aziani Ashary added that she had gone back to the site on 31st October. The main road was apparently still being blocked and guarded by police. However, there had been a memorial space nearby, with family members mourning there. “I can feel the sadness,” she told The Star. “It’s such an unexpected tragedy.”
South Korean authorities are still investigating the incident. Additionally, they are still verifying fatalities. So far, the foreigners who passed away in the stampded were identified to be from Iran, China, Russia, the US, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, Austria, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.
Our hearts go out to all those who lost family members. We pray that they will find peace in their passing. We also wish those who were injured in the incident a speedy recovery.
Sources: The Star, Malay Mail
