After a crowd surge, on Halloween in Seoul, South Korea, more than 150 civilians have been killed and many more injured. Reports say it happened in the capital’s Itaewon district in a 10-foot wide narrow alley. There were estimated to be over 100,000 people visiting the area. Many of Seoul’s civilians were excited to be out and celebrating Halloween, for it has been the first time since they’ve had no Covid restrictions.

The surge was described as a huge crushing. It’s still unknown how it started, but investigators are collecting social media footage and videos from people who witnessed it. However, once the surge started, it was an immediate downfall. People were packed full in the alleyway; they couldn’t prevent anything that happened next. According to Seoul Metro Corp, over 130,000 passengers used the subway station. The alleyway starts just a few steps from the subway, and it was recorded that crowds were walking in both directions. 

After talking to a few students at McCracken, they were not aware of this situation. Some were intrigued but others didn’t care. One student stated, “It’s crazy to think something so deadly could happen so quickly.” The people in the crowd in Seoul didn’t expect or even think something like this would happen, but hopefully, Seoul will use this tragedy to help improve the alleyways and streets. 

Gong, Se Eun. “After Seoul’s Halloween Tragedy, South Koreans Are Searching for Answers.” NPR, NPR, 31 Oct. 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/10/31/1132795290/seoul-itaewon-south-korea-halloween-stampede 

Bull, Danny. “South Korea Halloween crush: The lost belongings in pictures.” BBC News, Nov 1, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63467914