S. Korea: Survivors recall deadly Halloween crowd crush

On Monday, the death toll in Saturday's tragic crowd crush in Seoul rose to 154, with relatives of the dead coming to terms with the disaster and survivors still in shock at how close they came to dying. 

Officials at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters have warned that the death toll could still rise, as 33 people remain hospitalized with serious injuries. A further 116 sustained minor injuries.  

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday pledged the government would undertake a "thorough investigation" into what caused the "accident."

'Zero crowd control'

On Saturday night, throngs of people flocked to the popular Itaewon district, one of Seoul's most popular nightspots, to celebrate the first Halloween since coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

Emergency officials believe that as many as 100,000 people had descended on the area to celebrate, with the narrow alleys becoming gradually more packed.  

Anthony Spaeth, senior editor of the JoongAng Daily newspaper in Seoul, was in Seoul for the festivities and told DW there was "zero crowd control" despite the massive number of people.   

"For a while I was in it. About 20 minutes after I got out of that crowd, people were dying," he said.

Spaeth had met up with a friend earlier in the evening and had tried to get into a favorite bar in the Three Alleys district, a popular area of bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

In an article he wrote for the JoongAng Daily, 66-year-old Spaeth said he was "close to a panic attack" trying to get out of the crowd and he was already fearful of what was going to happen.

Upon reaching the top of the narrow alley that descends to the main street and runs between the high walls of the Hamilton Hotel and a row of buildings, Spaeth said he felt his feet losing purchase as the crowd surged, with women around him already in tears. 

Spaeth and his friend managed to extricate themselves from the crowd and found a way back to the main road.

Unaware of the scale of the tragedy that was unfolding where they had just been, they had some drinks outside a convenience store. 

It was only later, when he returned to the heart of Itaewon, that he saw the lines of ambulances carrying emergency teams trying to reach victims.

'I could have died'

Daniel, an expatriate teacher from the US who does not want to give his family name, told DW that strolling through Itaewon at Halloween is "a tradition," for him, but this year was different.

"I tried to escape it early on by going the other way around, but I physically couldn't because it was blocked by a literal wall of people," he said, adding that he eventually managed to find his way out of the crowd.

"Minutes after I left the alleyway is when the crowd crush started. But the music and everything was so loud that I simply had no idea it was happening," he said.

After moving some distance away, he remained unaware of the disaster until returning to the main Itaewon street about two hours later and seeing lines of emergency vehicles.

His first assumption was that there had been a fight, or someone had drunk too much, until he started getting text messages asking if he was safe. The scale of the tragedy did not sink in until the day after.

"It's surreal," he said. "I could have died. The people behind me in the crowd probably died. I don't know what I'm feeling, but I've cried five times today so far."

Scale of tragedy unfolds in South Korea

According to media reports in South Korea, emergency centers have been set up in gymnasiums where the dead have been laid out for their relatives to identify and claim.  

An editorial in Monday's edition of the JoongAng Daily said the disaster "could have been avoided if the police and fire authorities had thoroughly prepared for possible scenarios in advance."

It also called for the national and local governments to "find effective solutions to prevent such calamities."

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the scene of the tragedy and announced one week of mourning across the country. 

"It is truly horrific," Yoon said in an address from his office on Sunday. "As president, who is responsible for the people's lives and safety, my heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief." 

He added that his administration would "place priority" in determining just how the tragedy unfolded and come up with measures to make sure something similar can never happen again.  

Journalist Spaeth said he is skeptical if the incident will result in any institutional change.

"This is a country that has these kinds of tragedies on a regular basis," he said, pointing to the Sewol ferry tragedy in April 2014, during which 299 people died when the ship sank off Jeju Island. The vast majority of victims were children on a school trip.

"Immediately after that accident, then-President Park Geun-hye said she wanted to change Korean culture to one of safety first, but I think that is far easier said than done," he said.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn