NARRATIVE – Émeline, a student from South Korea, spent her first Halloween party in Seoul with friends in Itaewon last Sunday. The evening turned into a nightmare, and 153 people died. She tells.
«If I feel unwell, I fall and no one will find me“. This is the thought that crossed Émeline’s mind when she found herself stuck in the crowd on Saturday, October 29, in Seoul. The young student had come to celebrate Halloween in the Itaewon district with three of her friends, like a thousand other young people. But during a giant scramble, she found herself trapped, her arms immobilized along her body, unable to move forward, or even breathe.
A total of 153 people died – including a Frenchman– trampled and suffocated during this stampede, ranking the event as one of the most serious in the world in the last 10 years. What happened during this evening? Between apocalyptic vision and surreal scenes, Émeline, a young 20-year-old student, tells us in detail about the course of these few chaotic hours.
Read alsoSeoul Halloween drama: how can a crowd movement cause so many deaths?
«The Halloween party was highly anticipatedshe explains. The students had just passed their mid-terms – mid-term exam, this party was the perfect occasion to celebrate them.She then finds three of her friends, two French and a Korean, to dress up and walk together.
The four students get out of the subway around 9:40 p.m. and meet on the main street of Itaewon. The atmosphere is festive in the neighborhood, even if getting around in the crowd is almost impossible…
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