Grace was holidaying with friends in Korea. On the weekend she died in a Halloween crowd crush.

Grace Rached was days away from her 24th birthday when she attended Halloween celebrations in Seoul with her friends.

The 23-year-old Australian was among thousands who gathered in the nightlife Itaewon district of the South Korean capital on Saturday night.

As a sea of mostly young people took to the street in costumes and masks, Grace and her friends were caught up in a crowd crush when people surged into a narrow alley.

"I was there when she said she couldn't breathe and I grabbed one of my friend's hands," her friend, Nathan Taverniti later shared in a TikTok video.

“There was no stampede. It was a slow and agonising crush."

Grace is among over 150 people who have been killed in the tragic events that night. Her and Nathan's two other friends who went out on Saturday night are currently being treated in intensive care.

As details about the incident emerge, the Sydney film production assistant has been remembered as a "friendly" and "kind-hearted" person. 

"Grace was a fun, friendly, kind-hearted and passionate individual who loved to make films and make people laugh. She will be deeply missed by her many family and friends, as well as her family here at Electriclime films," her former employer, Electriclime Films executive producer Shahn Devendran told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Recalling the events of Saturday night, Nathan blamed the crush on a lack of preparation by Seoul authorities.

"This crush was not caused by drunk people. It was lack of planning, police force and emergency services. Nobody was willing to help," he said on TikTok. 

"I watched as people filmed and sang and laughed while my friends were dying among with many other people," he continued. 

"We were yelling, saying 'you have to turn around, you have to go back, people are dying' but nobody was listening."

"I waited 30 minutes for the police to arrive where I was. It took over an hour for more police to arrive and even longer for emergency services."

@taeveniti RIP - i was there at itaewon as my friends were crushed - this is their story - people need to know what happened - the people that were abandoned by the government #itaewon ♬ original sound - taeveniti

Nathan went on to say members of the public started performing CPR on others in need. 

"There were people lying on the ground getting CPR not by health professionals by random people, whoever could," he said.

"I am sad. I am devastated by this situation which could have been so easily avoided but nobody would listen."

What happened in Seoul?

The crowd surge took place in Seoul's Itaewon, an area known for its cosmopolitan dining and nightlife. It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. 

Witnesses have since described the crowd becoming increasingly unruly and agitated as the evening deepened, coming to a head at 10:20pm. The fire department began to receive reports of patients having difficulty breathing at 10:22 pm.

The scene where the stampede took place. Image: Getty.

Social media footage showed hundreds of people packed in the narrow, sloped alley crushed and immobile as emergency officials and police tried to pull them free. Officials said all the deaths were likely from the crush in the single narrow alley. Other footage showed chaotic scenes of fire officials and citizens treating dozens of people who appeared to be unconscious.

An unnamed woman who said she was the mother of a survivor, said her daughter and others were trapped for more than an hour before being pulled from the mass of bodies.

The first emergency responders were reportedly asking civilians watching on to administer first aid and perform CPR on victims in the streets. The bodies of people who had been crushed or trampled to death lay in rows, covered with blankets or makeshift shrouds.

Officials in Seoul said that at least 120 people were dead and 100 others were injured after a stampede in the South Korean capital's popular Itaewon district, where crowds had gathered to celebrate Halloween. https://t.co/auJuczo3Ll pic.twitter.com/7FXmfW8qab

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 29, 2022

NEW death toll: 149 in South Korea Halloween disaster described as a "presumed stampede" in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife district. Authorities are having a hard time identifying many victims & asking families for help. Many dead are in Halloween costumes without ID. @PamelaBrownCNN pic.twitter.com/K2wEg8V25T

— Will Ripley (@willripleyCNN) October 29, 2022

One man recounted to The Guardian: "My friend said: something terrible is happening outside. I said: what are you talking about? And then I went outside to see and there were people doing CPR in the street. It's always crowded, but nothing like this has ever happened before. I've been to a lot of Halloween parties in Korea - I never thought that something like this could happen in Korea, especially in Itaewon."

Another witness said: "There were so many people just being pushed around and I got caught in the crowd and I couldn't get out at first too. I felt like an accident was bound to happen."

Authorities also said they are now investigating the exact cause of the incident.

The victims.

So far, over 153 people have been killed in the tragedy, including 97 women and 56 men. 

More than 80 per cent of the dead are in their 20s and 30s, but at least four were teenagers. Choi Sung-beom, the head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said in a press conference that many of the victims were women in their twenties.

At least 20 of the dead are foreigners including one American and others from China, Russia, Iran and Australia. 

Two Japanese nationals, a woman in her twenties and another woman between the age of 10 and 19, were also confirmed to have died in the crush, an official at Japan's foreign ministry said.

Ambassador to the Republic of Korea Catherine Raper joined Anthony Albanese in conveying Australia's condolences to the South Korean government, describing the incident as "tragic". 

Our sincere condolences for all affected by this terrible tragedy - Australians can call DFAT 1300555135 or outside Australia +61261623305 if concerned about loved ones https://t.co/bQJp8C3a8c

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 29, 2022

The disaster is among the country's deadliest since a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, mainly high school students. 

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting with senior aides and ordered a task force be set up to secure resources to treat the injured and to launch a thorough investigation into the cause of the disaster. He also declared a national period of mourning. 

US President Joe Biden and his wife sent their condolences and wrote: "We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also tweeted: "All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time."

With AAP.

This article was originally published on October 30, 2020 and was updated on October 31, 2022.

Feature Image: Facebook@grace.rached.5