‘I SURVIVED THE SEOUL STAMPEDE TRAGEDY’
A night of celebrations turned into a nightmare for this brave Aussie
With her jewellery tight across her neck, her clothes torn from the onslaught of people against her, Olivia Jacovic struggles to break free from the crowd in the narrow alley in Seoul’s popular nightlife district Itaewon.
Looking down, her arms and legs are covered with bruises and scuff marks from where people pressed against her, battling to remain on their feet. Thankfully, she has no broken bones but Olivia is shaken up and terrified.
DIFFICULT TO ESCAPE
Speaking to Woman’s Day just days after escaping the horrific stampede, which killed more than 150 people and caused injury to a further 150, the Perth expat is, understandably, still traumatised.
Thousands of people crammed into the four-metrewide alley on October 29 during what was meant to be a fun night out in the South Korean capital to celebrate Halloween.
Olivia is working in Seoul as
part of a year-long contract, and shares how she began feeling uneasy as soon as she arrived at Itaewon Station and noticed a huge queue of people trying to get onto the street.
“I was on the outskirts of the crowd but kept getting squished and pulled in – it was mayhem,” says the 27-year-old.
“I could see in the distance everyone just getting funnelled in, people squishing and twirling around like they had no control of their bodies. It’s like the sea – if someone moves, you cannot fight against it.”
There with a friend, Olivia recalls how it was nearly impossible to break free from the crowd. “My friend slipped down, my clothes were being torn... I did not care. I just knew we needed to get out of there,” she remembers.
Olivia managed to release herself and her friend from the crowd and make it to a nearby brick wall, where they watched the tragedy unfold in horror.
“It was so scary seeing people yelling, ‘Help!’ in Korean and a young girl on her phone crying,” she says. “I still think about the poor people who were carried out in their costumes and their parents [who] had to wake up the next morning and get the phone call that their child had passed.”
Officials estimate that around 100,000 people were in Itaewon on the fatal night, with 80 per cent of the victims in their 20s and 30s.
Among them was Sydney woman Grace Rached, who died after becoming trapped and then crushed in the terrifying crowd surge.
The talented film production assistant was travelling with friends through South Korea when they went out on Saturday night to celebrate her upcoming 24th birthday. Her body was found by local authorities in the aftermath.
Close friend and fellow traveller Nathan Taverniti said it was impossible to save Grace after he became separated from their group.
‘I kept getting squished and pulled in – it was mayhem’
REMEMBERING GRACE
“I was there when she said she couldn’t breathe,” Nathan said tearfully in a devastating video statement.
“There was no stampede
– it was a slow and agonising crush, and nobody was willing to help.
“I watched as people filmed and sang and laughed while my friends were dying along with others.
“We were yelling, ‘You have to go back, you have to turn around, people are dying’ but no one was listening.”
In Australia, tributes have flowed in from her family and friends as they remember their “beautiful Grace”. “We are missing our gorgeous angel Grace who lit up a room with her infectious smile,” her family said in a statement.
“Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met. [She] showed us all what it meant to be an incredible human being.”
Olivia has a message for those back home in Australia.
“If anyone has friends or family over in South Korea, please offer your support and help them find mental health services if that’s what they need,” she says.
“The mood here is so sombre. I can’t stop thinking about it.”