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Lined up shoes in the hall: most of the victims were women
Photo:
Anthony Wallace/AFP
Days after the deaths of more than 150 Halloween revelers in South Korea, there was a silent and harrowing reminder of the disaster.
Hundreds of pairs of shoes were lined up neatly in a sports hall in the capital, Seoul.
According to the broadcaster CNN, the emergency services also draped bags, glasses, notebooks, wallets and colorful hats on tables and gymnastics mats on the hall floor.
Relatives of victims of Saturday night's deadly crush can collect the items.
"I found him.
I think that's him," said a woman, moved, according to CNN.
She held a black coat in her hands and burst into tears.
The wrinkled tennis shoes, leather shoes or Chucks are part of a total of 1.5 tons of personal belongings attributed to the victims and survivors of the tragedy, according to police.
Investigators laid things out in hopes they would still find their way to friends and family.
Many victims wore no shoes
The deadly crush in the Itaewon nightlife district came after tens of thousands gathered for Halloween celebrations on Saturday night.
Some of the people crowded into a narrow, downhill alley.
There the crowd finally got so big that many people died.
Most of the victims were women, many of whom were barefoot.
According to experts, this could be due to the strong forces in the crowd, which tore their shoes off their feet in the crush.
Yongsan police, who plan to keep the memorabilia hall open until Sunday, have not yet said how many items have been returned to their owners.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 156 people had died as a result of the crowding, and 151 others were being treated for injuries, 29 of whom are in critical condition.
According to official figures, 26 of the dead were foreign nationals, including five Iranians, four Chinese, four Russians, two Americans and two Japanese.
Apr/AP
