A temporary memorial space for the victims of the Itaewon accident is covered with flowers and messages at a square near the scene of the accident in front of a subway station in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Nov. 2, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — Those who stood up to help victims during the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district are receiving praise for their action.
Muhammad Shabbir, who has been working as a staff nurse at a general hospital in Pakistan, came to South Korea last month to visit his brother.
The two brothers visited Itaewon to experience Halloween culture in South Korea, which is hard to come by in Muslim countries.
When they barely made it out of the crowd, they witnessed the moment when people started to scream and collapse.
“I don’t remember the exact number, but I performed CPR on 15 to 20 people. I checked their pulse and their respiratory response, but there was none,” Shabbir said.
Shabbir’s emergency treatment saved four people that day.
The brothers stayed until the next morning to help the victims on site.
A hat with a message reading “Happy Halloween,” left behind at the site of a crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district, is laid at an indoor stadium in the capital’s Yongsan Ward on Nov. 1, 2022, following the Oct. 29 incident that has left at least 155 people, mostly in their 20s, dead during Halloween festivities. (Yonhap)
Chae Kyeong-min, a BJ of an online broadcasting channel, was putting up a live broadcast of the festivities in Itaewon.
Chae, who goes going by the name “Vegeta” on Africa TV, stepped into an alley next to Hamilton Hotel and quickly got stuck in a massive crowd.
Fortunately, he was close to the side of the road, where bystander pulled him up from the congestion.
After catching his breath, Chae joined the rescuers to save people being swept away in the crush, saving five or six people from below.
Meanwhile, top actress Lee Yeong-ae stepped up to help the family of a Russian student who passed away during the stampede.
The father of the late 25-year-old Yuliana Pak wanted to bring her body back but couldn’t afford the US$5,000 cost of air transport.
Learning of the distress, Lee sent financial support to the Korea Foundation for Persons with Disabilities to help Pak’s family.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
