A Survivor Of The Itaewon Halloween Emergency Receives Praise For Her Last Service To The Victims

On October 29, an estimated 100,000 people gathered in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween. During the celebrations, people ended up trapped in a narrow alley in the middle of a crowd surge. Many people began to suffocate and suffer from cardiac arrest, with the current toll numbers at 156 killed and 172 injured as of November 2, 2022, 11am KST.

A survivor was recently interviewed on an episode of PD Notes. She had been one of the few survivors that were well enough to help those around her. As she turned to the medical staff for guidance, they advised her to help correct the positions of the dead.

It was important to correct their bodily positions soon after death. In the case of death, bodies soon stiffen in their last positions. Many injured and dying had been laid out with their arms and legs splayed to the sides.

Upon the advice of the medical staff, the survivor went around and repositioned the bodies, folding their arms across their chest and gathering their legs into a straight position.

The survivor tearfully shared that she had done so in hopes that the victims would suffer less in death.

The medical staff said to fold this person’s arms together such that the corpse would not stiffen [in such a position]. As the corpse’s arms and legs were spread out to the sides, the staff asked me to help gather their limbs together. If the corpse stiffened while spread out, it would be harder later, such as when they need to enter the coffin. So, from that moment on, I went around and repositioned the corpses’ limbs, as I felt like I had to do something. Even though they’ve died, I wanted them to suffer less, so I went around, continuing to reposition them.

— Survivor

The survivor received praise from the public, who were also highly concerned about her mental well-being.

• “She’s so amazing…”
• “Ah… Thank you.”
• “Thank you.”
• “The country should take care of her…”
• “You’ve worked so hard, thank you. Be blessed.”

Despite her good deed, it would have also been mentally draining on her. Her last service to the victims will not go unforgotten.