Pinay witness to Itaewon stampede describes swell of Halloween goers: 'First time 'tong nangyari'

A Filipina witness to the Itaewon stampede said that the annual event has never before seen such swell of Halloween goers.

According to Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras Weekend," Sunday, over 100,000 people went to Itaewon on Saturday to celebrate the holiday.

Kuya Kim was on the scene with the "Dapat Alam Mo" crew when tragedy struck, and they captured footage of emergency services responding to the situation.

"Parang nagkaroon ng stampede na naubusan ng mga hangin o sa mga ininom kasi punung-puno 'to kanina," said Jenny, a Filipina who saw what happened.

"Merong mang ganito, pero hindi ganito ka-grabe. In 20 years po na na-observe ang Itaewon festival na Halloween first time 'tong nangyari," she added.

Itaewon is a popular district in Seoul for its nightlife. Full of restaurants, bars, and shops, it is a top party destination in the South Korean capital.

Due to the pandemic, however, the Halloween festivities have not been held for two years.

Kuya Kim said the stampede occurred in an alley near the train station, where party goers would pass through heading to the main street.

The main street was already full, however, and yet people kept arriving at the train station. Eventually, the density of the crowd led to the stampede that crushed many of those in front of the alley.

"Nakita namin sa mata namin kagabi 'yung nangyari talaga. Talagang hanggang ngayon parang panaginip, very surreal 'yung aming na-witness kagabi," Kuya Kim said.

Korean authorities said 151 people have lost their lives in the crush, many of them teenagers and in their early 20s. There were also foreigners but so far no Filipinos have been reported to be among them.

—MGP, GMA News