COVID-19 lockdown forced far too many people into the brink of insanity.
During the period of time, people weren't allowed to freely meet others, or visit public places, or use public transportation. Companies weren't allowed to have employees work at the office on full capacity. But as more people were vaccinated, and many managed to keep the infection rate to a minimum, it's time to celebrate.
In South Korea, youngsters and young adults couldn't be happier, because after the government lifted the COVID-19 restrictions, they are allowed to have a Halloween celebration for the first time in three years.
On October 29, in Itaewon, more than a hundred thousand people visited the venue, cosplay and dressed in their favorite characters and others, and take part in the festivity.
This was expected because the Itaewon district, located in central Seoul, is a popular location for gatherings, as the area hosts nightclubs and bars.
But in one narrow street, a heartbreaking tragedy happened, as a massive crowd surge and stampede left more than 150 people dead and a lot more injured.
Between the lights and the music, the event soon turned into a nightmare for the attendees, and also for the whole country.
And the internet included.
The 2022 Halloween in Itaewon was the most attended Halloween festival in the area since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was also the first of such event since the government eased the the mask mandate.
The district is already known to host events, since it's a famous multi-cultural commercial area.
In fact, it is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seoul, known for its nightlife and restaurants.
Itaewon is also known as the "International District" or sometimes as "Western Town," which is a reminiscent of many Chinatowns in Western nations.
And because it's also packed with dozens of shops aimed at tourists, Itaewon is one of the most popular places in Seoul for both the locals and tourists.
And in the 2022 Halloween, huge crowd spread in Itaewon, occupying every single meter of the area, packing one street to the next, and one alley to the other.
Through various posts on social media networks, people visiting the area shared photos and videos of huge crowds of people using various clothing and makeups. Even ascending from the subway station was extremely crowded, with people shown queueing, just to exist the mass transportation.
And in one of the alleys, located near Itaewon station's first exit and the Hamilton Hotel, is a downhill road.
Here, it was severely packed with partygoers that at one end, nobody could move and on the back, people kept pushing, having no idea about what's in front of them.
Local media groups reportedly said that people crowded the area because of a rumor that an unidentified celebrity was present, or that drug-laced candies were being distributed.
People were packed and pushed along the narrow segment of the alley, that a crowd crush occurred at 22:15 local time (KST). And because of the sloping road, people at the top fell to those below, crushing the rest.
In a lane that is only about 45 meters long and 4 meters wide, more than 150 people lost their lives.
Most of the victims died because of the lack of oxygen.
During the crowd crush incident, people that were present might be squeezed too tightly between other partygoers, that they lungs couldn't expand enough to allow breathing.
And because of the huge crowd, oxygen supply in the alley is also lower, whereas carbon dioxide is higher.
This makes breathing even more difficult.
And when their hands and legs get twisted together, blood supply is restricted, making less blood reach the brain.
It only takes a few seconds to about a minute for anyone to lose consciousness. And without emergency care, that person may suffer restrictive asphyxia.
Humans may experience cardiac arrest when this happens.
And for those who were crushed due to the slope, they may also suffer asphyxia, as well as damaged organs or bones.
In the Itaewon incident, the huge crowd and the narrow streets impeded emergency services attempting to enter the district.
It was almost impossible for the ambulances to reach the victims in the alley way in time.
Making things worse, the area was so crowded that many phone and internet reception were temporarily saturated and out of service.
Pretty much everything was documented and shared on social media networks, through videos that show hundreds of people were so tightly compressed and interlocked together, and another video that showed how getting them out was extremely difficult.
Other videos show how festival attendees dressed in costumes attempted to resuscitate the injured.
Bystanders and others, including the police, were performing CPR on those victims.
About a hundred ambulances in total were dispatched as late as 23:45.
According to the Yongsan fire department, 848 emergency personnel, including 346 firefighters across the country, had been deployed to the scene. U.S. Army military police units of United States Forces Korea, who were conducting a routine patrol in the area with officers from the National Police Agency, also assisted with first aid and maintaining public order on scene.
But for many of the unfortunate partygoers, the emergency came too late.
Many lost their lives, and were eventually laid on the streets by medical and police personnel, and covered with blankets, clothing, and/or tarp.
South Korea's President, Yoon Suk-yeol, attended an emergency briefing, and even came to the scene of the incident in the next morning.
He declared a period of national mourning until 5 November, ordering flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast.
The Mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, who was in Europe at the time of the incident, returned to Seoul.
In response, various businesses in South Korea cancelled their events, and withdrew many of their Halloween-related products.
Major broadcasting stations of South Korea also suspended their music and entertainment programming, and replaced them with continuous news coverage.
Due to the graphic details and how tragic the incident was, local social media influencers and online media issued statement, asked users to refrain from sharing photos and video of the horrific tragedy.
KakaoTalk, which is a widely-used messaging service in South Korea, even asked users to act with caution with information about the disaster.
Naver and Twitter followed suit by issuing similar statements.
But again, the nature of the social media and the internet didn't allow the spread to be contained.
Since the incident has received a worldwide news coverage, images and videos of the incident were continuously shared on various social media posts, messaging apps, online forums, and more.
Many mourned, and "pray for Itaewon."
Government leaders from around the world, as well as celebrities and high-profile figures use their social media accounts to express their condolences.
Deeply saddened to learn about the tragic stampede in Seoul. My deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones. Indonesia mourns with the people of South Korea and wishes those injured a speedy recovery.
— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) October 30, 2022
While the internet may seem to be deeply saddened, many internet users were also angered, and mocked some of the businesses and people in the area, who were seemingly unaware of the ongoing incident that night.
During the time when people lost their lives, many restaurants and bars continued to operate.
Music was still played through the speakers, and many individuals were seen continued celebrating.
They complained on how some people in Korea lacked the empathy, even when their fellow citizens were dying not far from where they were.