A Thai tourist is confirmed to have died in the Halloween stampede in South Korea, Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul confirmed today (Sunday). No further information on the fatality is available at the time of this report.
Another Thai tourist, identified as Laksamika Deeprasai, expressed her shock at seeing large numbers of people dying right in front of her during the stampede incident in the Itaewon area in Seoul of South Korea last night (Saturday).
Laksamika explained to Thai PBS reporters that, at about 10pm local time in South Korea, she was about to meet her friend when she found that the alley was extremely crowded. She said she felt the pressure of people on both sides as she walked down the middle of the alley.
As the alley is on a hill, she explained that, if one person falls over, other people will fall over each other, which led to people suffocating and dying.
“I used to attend the Songkran festivities in Bangkok’s Silom. It was also crowded and scary, but the Halloween event in Itaewon was much worse and much more congested. Even though I survived, I almost fainted.”
She also said that this is the third time she has attended the Halloween event in South Korea, with this time being much more crowded than before.
During the Halloween stampede, Laksamika said that she and her friends locked arms to get through the crowds together and tried to prevent themselves from being pushed over. It was, however, very difficult, but they managed to get out of the crowds.
After escaping the chaos, they saw a large group of police, military officers and security officials, who advised her and her friends to take refuge inside a shop. She then noticed officers administering CPR to the injured.
More than 150 people died and another 82 were injured during the Halloween stampede.
Itaewon is a popular nightlife area in South Korea, especially for Halloween, and this is the first outdoor Halloween event held there since the COVID-19 pandemic
