As South Korean residence woke up this morning, they came face to face with the news that over 100 people had lost their lives in Itaewon the night before due to over crowding.
With Halloween falling on a Monday this year, and estimate 100,000 people gathered Saturday night to celebrate early. Due to the city's narrow streets, there was not enough room for the amount of people in the area.
For unknown reasons, there was a crowd surge at some point in the night. Because of the surge, many people lost their footing and fell into the crowd.
Individuals were trapped and crushed as groups began to fall onto each other.
Nearly 2,000 emergency responders were dispatched to the scene. However, the crowds made it difficult for responders to get to the injured.
Some crowd members were too inebriated to realize the severity of the situation. This also lead to emergency vehicles being blocked at the site of the tragedy.
Graphic images and videos taken at Itaewon
So far, 149 people have been confirmed dead. Another 150 individuals have been taken to local hospitals for their injuries.
Officials have publicly stated that the death toll is likely to rise due to the severity of the injuries that survivors obtained.
Unfortunately, all South Koreans can do is watch the horror continue to unfold before them. As the country mourns the loss of so many young lives, it is unclear what precautions will be put in place to make sure a tragedy similar to this will never occur again.
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