Seoul: Eyewitnesses in shock after stampede killing 150 (video)

STORY: NOTE: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SCENES THAT CAN TRIGGER TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES It’s the day after the catastrophe in South Korea’s nightlife district of Itaewon. Here, in the heart of the capital Seoul, many visitors came to celebrate Halloween on Saturday night, most of them young people in their 20s. According to eyewitnesses, ten times more people than usual came together in the narrow streets. According to the fire brigade, some fell to the ground in the crowd. People pushing behind buried the fallen among themselves. More than 150 people lost their lives. Among them 24 foreigners. Nathan Taverniti, an Australian living in Seoul, shares what he experienced. “There were so many people… and I had to turn around and tell the crowd they can’t come this way. People are dying here. Because I knew then how bad it was and the people were so rude. Me had to tell them they couldn’t come here… and it took so long for the emergency services to arrive.” Survivors and relatives of the victims are looking for answers as to how the mass panic could have happened. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol spoke on Sunday of a “tragedy and catastrophe that should not have happened.” Yoon declared a week of national mourning in honor of the dead. According to the authorities, the celebrations had no official organizer. Apparently, there were already signs that it could get crowded at the weekend. As early as Friday evening, a witness from the Reuters news agency saw people crowding closely together at a Halloween street festival. A day later the crowds came back.