Itaewon Disaster: "I Can't Breathe" Report Received 3 Minutes Before First Call

Call Disconnected Without Specifying Situation or Location

The 'Itaewon Tragedy Victims Memorial Candlelight Vigil' is being held on the road near Seoul Plaza on the 5th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] It has been confirmed that just before the first 119 emergency call received by the Fire Agency during the 'Itaewon crowd crush disaster,' there was a report stating "I can't breathe." However, this call was disconnected without specifying the exact situation or location.

According to the '119 Caller Conversation Transcript' received by Cheon Jun-ho, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the Fire Agency, a call was received from Itaewon 1-dong at 10:12 PM on October 29, the day of the disaster.

This was about three minutes earlier than the first 119 call on the day of the disaster (10:15 PM) previously disclosed by the Fire Agency. According to the transcript, the caller said amid loud surrounding noise, "Itaewon... you know. I can't... breathe... ○○a."

The operator tried to engage in conversation several times by saying "Hello," but the caller said things like "○○a, come here," and "...dropped it... hello." When the operator said, "I can't hear you well," the caller responded, "Ah... yes," and then hung up.

The authorities concluded the call as 'disconnected.'

The Fire Agency stated regarding whether this call was forwarded to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, "Not all calls received by 119 are notified to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Especially, even calls that are recognized as reporting an accident are not all forwarded to the Ministry."

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