That many Asian folks died?? Be safe out there folks if heading out Monday night

[theking]

South Korea mourns, wants answers after Halloween crush kills 153


Shocked family members collected bodies, parents searched for children and a country sought answers on Sunday after at least 153 people were crushed to death when a crowd in South Korea surged in an alleyway during Halloween festivities.

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning and designated Seoul's popularItaewon district a disaster zone after the Saturday night disaster.

"This news came like a bolt from the blue sky," said a father who burst into tears as he collected his daughter's body from a morgue in the nation's capital.

[theking]

Singer and actor Lee Jihan was among the 153 who died in the Itaewon stampede in Seoul, South Korea. He was 24. Lee's agency, 935 Entertainment, confirmed the news in a statement: "We are sad to deliver such news today, but Lee Ji-han has passed away in the crush in Itaewon.

[theking]

Yoo Ah-in denies rumor linking him to Seoul Halloween crush

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Itaewon crush: How South Korea let down its young people


It is such a small, insignificant space, running perhaps 60 metres (197ft) down the hill, and narrowing to just 3.5m wide near the bottom.

It is too narrow to be lit by the morning sun. The alley doesn't even have a name.

Were it not for the single strip of orange tape, and the two police officers standing guard, you would pass it without a glance.

On one side is the high, featureless wall of the Hamilton Hotel rising ten storeys. On the other, a cluster of small shops. A green sign marks "Milano Collection", a fashion store 81-year-old Nam In-seok has run for the past 11 years.

He witnessed the horrific event on the night of 29 October, when the little alley became a death trap.

"Already at 19:00 I thought it was too crowded, and I was worried. It was very uncomfortable for the people walking, and the entrance to my shop was completely blocked.

"People were lining up for a restaurant, and at the same time more people were trying to come up from the main street.

"At around 21:50, as I opened the door of my shop, two young women fell in. They had no shoes on, and they were covered with dirt and bruises. I hugged them to help them calm down.

"I could hear people outside screaming 'help me'. I thought they might be fighting. I went outside and saw people piling up on top of each other.

"People were screaming for help, and I tried to pull them out, but I couldn't. All those young people, they couldn't breathe, and they were completely exhausted."

Mr Nam is haunted by what he saw that night. He stayed out trying to help the victims until 04:00.

"I helped them clean up after the incident. There were so many things left on the street, such as shoes and bags. The police asked me to help collect the bags and clothes, so I did so. How could I go to sleep? I couldn't."

At the peak of the crush, a little after 22:00, a video captured a single police officer struggling to disperse revellers from the top of the alley, who were unaware of the tragedy unfolding downhill.

"Please move, people are dying", he kept shouting - clearly distressed.

[theking]

He must've felt and is still feeling horrible:

Itaewon crush: The policeman who tried to stop Seoul's Halloween disaster


Kim Baek-gyeom is still visibly shaken by what he saw on Saturday night in Seoul's Itaewon district.

An assistant inspector in the South Korean capital, he was on duty that night.

"We had received a report of an altercation in the area, so I arrived at the scene between 10.10pm and 10.15pm," he tells the BBC at his police station in Itaewon, just a few metres away from where the tragedy occurred.

He says he saw people lying on the ground, and heard screams. "I tried to do my duty, to help people. Unfortunately I wasn't able to," he says.

But a video shared on social media, showing his desperate efforts to divert people away from the alleyway, has earned him praise from South Koreans, even as it highlights the inadequate police presence on the ground that night.