Itaewon, the South Korean capital, Seoul, lived in a state of real terror during Halloween celebrations, after a stampede killed and injured dozens, at a time when the area was filled with corpses and traces of blood, amid widespread international sympathy.

According to South Korean media,

The number of victims rose to 153 dead and more than 100 injured, most of them in their late teens and twenties, in the first Halloween celebrations in South Korea without requiring the wearing of a muzzle since the outbreak of the Corona epidemic.

The authorities expect the death toll to rise further, because 24 of the 103 injured suffer serious injuries.

Among the dead were 97 female and 56 male, and observers say females were hardest hit by the accident because of their usually small size, as well as heavy Halloween costumes.

Pushing and stressing hysterically, a man tries to escape..during the celebrations at the Halloween party..in South Korea..#SouthKorea #Halloween #Seoul #Itaewon #이태원 #이태원사고 #압사사고.

pic.twitter.com/qqmgvLOXVf

— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) October 29, 2022

And Yonhap News Agency reported, according to the statements of the authorities and eyewitnesses, today, Sunday, that the sudden rush of the crowds of Halloween revelers into a narrow alley with a width of 4 meters in the area, caused hundreds of people to be surrounded and prevented from moving or escaping, before some of them began to fall and others to fall. The deadliest stampede in the history of South Korea.

Among the victims, 25 were foreigners from 13 countries, including 4 from China and Iran, 3 from Russia, and one from the United States, France, Australia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Norway, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Austria.

Pictures published by Yonhap showed a number of people lying on a street, assisted by rescuers, at a time when the police established a security cordon, and footage on social media showed members of rescue teams and citizens helping people at the scene.

Rescue personnel at the scene (Getty Images)

Itaewon is home to expatriates and foreigners in the center of the capital, Seoul, and thanks to its abundance of nightlife spots and elegant restaurants, it was the most popular place for Halloween revelers, and tens of thousands of people visited that night.

The South Korean agency quoted a survivor eyewitness as saying that the stampede "started immediately" after some people fell and caused others to fall, such as dominoes, then some of them piled on each other without the ability to move or breathe, and the large number made it difficult for rescuers to reach And police officers and passing a distance of 100 meters to the scene and rescue the victims, which led to a huge increase in the death toll.

One of the most terrifying nights.

I'm just speechless here…

Pray for itaewon.


Hope everyone's safe.

#seoul #Itaewon #korea #이태원 pic.twitter.com/DM7SYuaDPQ

— James Chen (@RealJames0119) October 29, 2022

Witnesses explained that the sudden increase of about 300 injured people who need cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other first aid measures, made the task of rescue workers and paramedics difficult, while the traffic congestion in the period of returning to homes in the area exacerbated the situation.

The street that witnessed the stampede disaster (Getty Images)

Horrific clips and pictures

Social media platforms were buzzing with horrific photos and videos documenting the incident, and some scenes showed dozens of bodies lying on the ground in a street, in addition to the appearance of paramedics and firefighters trying to save a large number of people without success.

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol expressed his regret over what happened, and Yoon said in a statement, "The government has set a period of national mourning from today until the completion of investigations and the prosecution of those responsible for the incident, and this case will be the country's top priority in the next stage."

For its part, the Korean Ministry of Health announced in a statement that it had raised the maximum level of readiness to provide health care and psychological support services to the injured and the families of the victims, in addition to facilitating all means for funerals and memorial services for the victims of the accident.

ห้าม มา ITAEWON โดย เด็ด ขาดด เรา อยู่ ด้าน เรา อยู่ หน้า ร้าน ที่ เหยียบ กัน แบบ ช๊อ ค สุด ๆ แต่ อยู่ ด้าน ของ ร้าน แต่ ขา ออก เห็น เค้า เข็น ออก ช๊อค แบบ ไม่ ไหว แล้ว แล้ว รีวิวเกาหลี nomorehalloweenitaewon pic.twitter.com/ApQapJHDmh

— BB เจอนั่น journey 붐빔 (@bboommbbiimm) October 29, 2022

International Solidarity

In this context, leaders, leaders and politicians around the world expressed their grief and solidarity with the Korean people, and US President Joe Biden said, through his account on Twitter, "My wife Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in Seoul. We are saddened by what the people of the Republic are going through. Korea and we wish a speedy recovery to all the injured, and the United States stands by the Republic of Korea during this tragic time."

Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Seoul.

We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and wish for a quick recovery to all those who were injured.

The United States stands with the Republic of Korea during this tragic time.

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 29, 2022

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described what happened as "horrific news coming from Seoul," adding, "Our thoughts are with the responders who are currently handling the situation and all South Koreans at this very sad time."

Horrific news from Seoul tonight.

All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 29, 2022

The Embassy of the State of Qatar in South Korea said, through its account on Twitter, "The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Seoul extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to the friendly government and people of Korea and to the families of the victims, as a result of the unfortunate incident that occurred in the Itaewon region. It affirms its support for the Korean people in these difficult times." .

The Embassy of the State of Qatar in Seoul extends its sincere condolences and sympathy to the friendly government and people of Korea, and to the families of the victims as a result of the unfortunate accident that occurred in Itawan. It affirms its support for the Korean people in these difficult times.

— Embassy of the State of Qatar-Seoul (@QatarEmbSeoul) October 30, 2022

Famous American actress Jimmy Curtis joined in solidarity with the Korean people and the families of the victims, and she said through her Twitter account, "What happened in Seoul is a terrible tragedy, it is sad to lose so many young people who freely tried to celebrate together, once again we must include our loved ones and make them close to us. Celebration time."

🧡🇰🇷 A terrible tragedy in Seoul.

The loss of so many young people enjoying the freedom to celebrate together again.

As we gather on our own groups, in our own ways on Halloween, hold them and their families near.

— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) October 29, 2022

FC Barcelona expressed solidarity with the families of the victims, commenting on his Twitter account, saying, "FC Barcelona is saddened by the tragic events that occurred in Seoul, South Korea. We express our condolences to all the victims and their relatives."

The origin of Halloween

According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, Halloween began as a pagan festival pronounced as "Sahween", and was celebrated by the Celtic peoples in Ireland and ancient Britain on the first day of November in our current calendar, and they considered it the beginning of the new year and the beginning of the new year. Winter and the season of darkness, for their year was divided into two seasons of light and darkness.

At this time, the land contracts are renewed and the herds return from the pastures.

It was also reported that these Celts believed that there was a barrier between the world of the living and the world of the dead, and that it would pass away or almost on the eve of “Sahween” i.e. October 31, so the souls of those who departed in the ending year are stuck and do not leave to the other world except on that night, as it comes. The departed souls visit their families, so they put empty chairs around the tables and left the doors of the houses open.

As for the evil spirits, they set fires on the tops of the hills to expel them, and they wore masks so that they would not be recognized.

Because of the coming of spirits, this is the best period to go to the priests for future news of health, marriage, and death.

Then the Romans invaded those regions and brought their own celebration of the memory of the dead and the goddess of the harvest Pomona, and this combination cemented the association of spirits, ghosts and the dead with masquerade clothes and decorating fruits.