An Australian tourist has recalled witnessing his travel companion from Sydney being crushed to death during the Halloween stampede that killed at least 153 lives in Seoul, South Korea.
Nathan Taverniti stated that he is now the guardian of the deceased woman’s body, who was 23 days shy of her 24th birthday.
Two more of his Australian friends from the party of four who went out to celebrate Halloween in Itaewon’s central neighborhood were also caught in the disaster, with one now in intensive condition.
On Saturday night, a sea of primarily young people became entangled in a crowd crush thought to have been caused by revelers coming to see a nearby local celebrity.
Mr. Taverniti stated that he attempted to rescue his companion from the suffocating turmoil but was unable.
In a TikTok post, he stated, “I was there when she said she couldn’t breathe, and I grabbed one of my friends’ hands.”
There was no stampede; rather, there was a steady, agonizing crush.
Nathan Taverniti, who was on vacation in Seoul, witnessed his travel companion from Sydney die in the Saturday night Halloween accident.
Saturday evening, emergency personnel attempt frantically to extract from the mob those most in need of medical care.
Previously, he told a South Korean publication, “All I saw was a wall of people… It was not feasible to save her.
Later, he saw her brought away on a stretcher, but he was unable to locate her.
Mr. Taverniti stated that he had just returned to his lodging after locating the remains of his friend with the assistance of ‘kind-hearted reporters’ from the American ABC network.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed that an Australian perished in the disaster, which also claimed the lives of 18 other foreigners.
He stated, “The Australian Government extends its condolences to the family and all those affected by this unfortunate event.”
We request that the family’s privacy be honored during this difficult time.
Officials from the consulate were in contact with the family of the deceased woman in Australia and were assisting “a number of other Australians who were present at the event.”
Mr. Taverniti and four Australian pals dressed up for the Halloween events in Seoul.
Mr. Taverniti reacts as he searches for his friend’s name on the list of missing people at a community service center following a stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, South Korea, on October 30, 2022.
Olivia Jacovic, a 27-year-old West Australian residing in Seoul, told Channel Nine that she and her friends narrowly evaded the fatal crush after it took them 40 minutes to exit the subway station at the scene.
She recalled, “I had bruises on my arms from attempting to maneuver out, but we made it to the sidelines and were standing on a brick wall from which we could see above.”
It was so crowded that individuals couldn’t breathe, and those who were shorter were forced to gaze upwards for air.
Ms. Jacovic stated that she had to exert great effort to escape the surging crowd.
“All I wanted to do was escape… She stated, “I don’t care that my garments are tearing.”
Mr. Taverniti attributed the incident on a lack of planning and police readiness.
He stated, “I watched as people recorded, sang, and laughed while my buddies and many others perished.”
I was attempting to pull individuals out of the crowd because there were insufficient police officers and nobody was doing anything to stop it.
Nobody was listening as we yelled, “You have to turn around, you have to go back, people are dying!”
I waited thirty minutes for cops to arrive at my location. It took more than an hour for additional police and considerably longer for emergency services to arrive.
Olivia Jacovic related to Channel Nine how she almost survived the crush that killed 153 individuals in Seoul.
Those stuck in the crowd were stunned, checking their phones to call missing loved ones or embracing one another.
He validated other claims that volunteers administered CPR.
Mr. Taverniti stated, “There were individuals on the ground receiving CPR not from medical personnel but from random people, whoever could.”
‘I am sad. I am horrified by this scenario, which might have been averted so easily if only someone had listened.
Julia Cho of Sydney, one of Mr. Taverniti’s four pals, has also shared her experience on TikTok.
Ms. Cho reported that her sister was in intensive care, whilst her other acquaintance had passed away.
She also provided a scathing evaluation of the police and other agencies.
Saturday night’s tragedy necessitated the deployment of 140 ambulances to treat and evacuate the injured.
She stated, “Local officials were not on alert and left innocent people helpless, despite knowing there were an overwhelming number of homeless persons on the streets.”
This occurred pretty early in the evening. People were suffocating, collapsing, and being crushed.’
The sole responsibility is with the leaders and authorities, who have failed their people.
After at least 146 people were killed in a crush in Seoul, revelers in Halloween costumes are seen leaving the site.
Emergency personnel in Seoul were overwhelmed by the tragic crush of a 100,000-person crowd attending the 2022 Halloween Festival.
The festival was held for the first time in its entirety since Covid, with the crush occurring shortly before 10pm local time (8pm EADT).
Officials verified that dozens of victims suffered cardiac arrest, and it is anticipated that the death toll will continue to grow. A handful of hospitalized patients remain in critical condition.
Photos from the scene depicted at least 25 victims covered by yellow blankets laying on the ground in the streets of Seoul. A separate row of bodies wrapped in blue blankets was also captured on camera.
President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea stated on Sunday morning that the tragic stampede’should not have occurred’, as the magnitude of the catastrophe was still being assessed.
After becoming engulfed in the night’s events, a weary young woman is dragged away from the scene to safety.
“In the heart of Seoul, a tragedy and disaster that should not have occurred occurred,” Yoon said in a national speech, pledging to “thoroughly investigate” the situation and guarantee it never occurs again.
According to local emergency personnel, the majority of the victims were youths or young adults in their teens or early twenties.
Due to the overwhelming number of deaths, a makeshift morgue was put up in a nearby building.
Officials stated that it was thought that victims were crushed to death after a large throng began pushing forward in a tiny alley outside Hamilton Hotel, a popular Seoul party venue, after hearing rumors that a celebrity was close.
On the streets of Itaewon, dozens of patients received CPR, while many others were sent to nearby hospitals.
One witness described the severity of the crush, stating, “People were piled on top of one another like a tomb.” Some were progressively losing consciousness, while others appeared to be dead at that time.
Images and videos on social media depict horrifying images of fear in the aftermath of the crush and people’s desperate attempts to leave the tragic building.
Hours after the fatal crush, costume fragments were strewn over the scene as authorities began their inquiry into the cause.
A particularly harrowing footage depicted dozens of individuals battling to breathe and stay on their feet in the crowd as rescuers worked to remove those most in need of medical care.
More than 1,700 South Korean emergency personnel were dispatched to one of the bloodiest crowd crushes in recent history.
Additional footage overlooking the street showed hundreds of rescue personnel doing CPR to victims who were sprawled on the roadway.
Hundreds of police officers had been sent to the area in anticipation of the big crowds on Saturday evening, but they allegedly struggled to maintain order in the minutes before the disaster occurred.
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