Last week, a horrendous attack in South Korea caused concern around the globe.

Taking place on the 29th of October, the incident occurred in the Itaewon district in Seoul. Itaewon is said to be very popular for nightlife, explaining how tens of thousands of people were in the area celebrating Halloween. This celebration was especially exciting since it was the first Halloween celebration in the country with no masks since the pandemic! This pulls in further grief as many of these teenagers and young adults went out to savour this newfound freedom.

The crowd got larger throughout the night, with phone calls to the police emerging to complain about the lack of safety in the area. The crash took place in an extremely narrow alleyway in which people went, in costume, to enjoy the atmosphere and find their way to various bars and clubs. Despite the positive outlook, this alleyway is said to be only 4m wide, and with the extreme influx of people, this resulted in pure suffocation.

 Police sent 4 dispatches by the end of the night, yet there were still many tragic deaths; 156 people were declared dead by the end of the disaster. In addition to this, 172 were injured. Some of the victims of this night have not been identified yet due to being under 17 and so not carrying around a national ID card. Some victims were also foreigners, looking to engage with the country's party culture.

It is truly an incredibly desolate event, as a celebratory night had a dreadful outcome. The fact that some parents are still out looking to know if their child made it or not is heartbreaking. 

The site was described as flooded with police, where lines of body bags were being escorted out from the heaps of people in absolute distraught.

My complete condolences are with all the people who suffered from this event, as it stands as a true reminder of how dangerous enormous social gatherings can truly be, and how we should take this seriously when planning to go out, even if just for an hour.

A candlelight Vigil in South Korea had been held on Saturday 5th November and a national mourning period has been declared for the sorrowful events.

Here's to hoping such a sad incident is never repeated.