[Itaewon Disaster] Saving One More Life... 'Faceless Heroes'

CPR Volunteers... Struggling to Rescue Entangled Citizens with All Their Might
Nearby Merchants Open Doors Without Charging Admission to Assist Evacuation

Access to the site of the 'Halloween crowd' crush accident in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is being restricted on the morning of the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] On the night of the 29th, when a crush accident occurred in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, heartwarming stories of desperate rescue efforts by citizens who rushed to save the victims are emerging. These so-called 'faceless heroes' reportedly showed devoted behavior, calmly performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) even in the chaotic situation.

According to social networking services (SNS) such as Twitter and Facebook on the 31st, citizens and nearby merchants around the Hamilton Hotel, where the accident occurred, competed to save as many lives as possible.

They are also known to have run toward the fallen citizens and performed CPR. In addition, they helped paramedics by carrying the fallen citizens on stretchers and assisting in patient transport. Especially, some exerted all their strength to pull out citizens who were tangled together.

A doctor who performed CPR at the accident site told a media outlet, "Nearby citizens also came running to massage the patients' bodies or remove their shoes to provide care," explaining the situation at the time, "It seems that about five people surrounded each patient to look after them." A merchant in his 50s who has operated a store in Itaewon for 10 years is known to have taken charge of organizing the accident site while holding a light baton. This merchant volunteered for CPR and reportedly compressed the chests of 10 people.

Other nearby store employees also helped the medical staff's emergency treatment by tearing the patients' tight clothes so that paramedics could perform CPR smoothly. Additionally, there are online community accounts that bar staff opened their doors without charging an entrance fee to evacuate citizens who could not move in the alley blocked by the crowd.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee are paying their respects at the joint memorial altar for the victims of the Itaewon accident, set up at Seoul City Hall Plaza on the morning of the 31st. Photo by Yonhap News

Starting today, a joint memorial altar will be set up at Seoul City Hall Plaza and Noksapyeong Station Plaza in Itaewon to mourn the victims of this accident. Also, as victims have appeared nationwide, joint memorial altars will be installed in various places across the country, including Anyang and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, Daegu, and Gangwon Province. Anyone can pay their respects to the victims of the tragedy at the joint memorial altars.

As of 6 a.m. on the 31st, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that the Itaewon crush accident victims totaled 303, including 154 dead, 33 seriously injured, and 116 lightly injured.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.