South Koreans are observing a week-long national mourning period following Saturday night’s crowd crush in Seoul that killed 154 people. The majority of the victims were young women. The crowd surge happened during Halloween festivities in a narrow alleyway in the popular Itaewon neighborhood, known for its nightlife. This is an eyewitness describing the chaotic scene.

Park Jung-hoon: “We came here around 10 p.m., then saw a scene from a movie in front of the hotel over there, like things happening during a war. They were doing CPR here and there, and people were rushing in as nothing was being controlled. It was completely out of control.”

Despite the throngs of revelers, many noted there was little security or crowd control overseeing the festivities, and laid blame on the government for failing to prevent such a tragedy. According to local reports, there were as many as 100,000 partygoers on Saturday evening. Authorities are investigating the events, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the government to review on-site safety measures.