From Party to Panic: Miri Doe’s Night in Itaewon
Everyone was ready to dance the night away—Miri Doe and her crew. They hit up two clubs, the vibe was electric, the music was blasting. But what started as a fun evening quickly slipped into chaos.
What Went Happening
- Two clubs, one crazy crowd： The crowd was “getting quite crazy,” the participants had to stop in their tracks.
- Unexpected fights： Miri said she spotted “a lot of fights,” and someone even tried to pick a fight with her—pretty ridiculous for a night of dancing.
- The crush start： As the night went on, everyone decided it was time to leave. The “deadly Itaewon crowd crush” erupted, claiming 158 lives that night.
- Survive & be scarred： Miri survived but was hit hard. She suffered physical injuries and left with deep emotional scars.
Behind the TikTok Clips
On November 5 and 6, Miri posted clear, heartfelt videos on TikTok, detailing that night’s horrors. She wanted anyone to understand the freaky reality behind the photos and the posters that not only sold the night as entertainment but also turned into a nightmare.
A Funny Twist at the End
Despite the tragedy, Miri’s posts still carry a playful tone—“I didn’t realize my dancing shoes would turn into a welcome mat!” That gives readers a glimpse into someone who’s willing to laugh at herself, even after an event that took 158 lives, to remind us that life’s moments happen to all of us.
‘Stepped on my head’
From Flip to Flood: My Wild Ride Through a Crowd Crush
Picture the scene: I’ve got one foot on the ground, the other caught in a chain of bewildered strangers, and quite literally, I’m fighting to keep my head above water.
It Started with a Trip
One bad step turned everything upside down—literally. The rest of my crew drifted away, and I was left pounding at the sidelines, tripping over shuffling bodies that treated my screams as background noise.
Being “Sweed into a Sea” Has a Different Meaning
When someone with a sense of humor says “swept into a sea,” I expect a lake, but my fate was a graveyard of concrete and desperation. I felt like I was drowning, buried at the very bottom of the crowd pile.
Pressure That’s Almost a Family Reunion
The weight on my chest was so intense it felt like a giant had taken up arms and decided to enclose me in a hug. That was the moment when I thought, “I might just die – because the pressure is insane.”
Blackout and “Silent Waiting”
Shortly after the crushing gales hit, everything faded into black. When I finally brightened up again, I realized I was a zombie: no movement, and I was “waiting silently”, hoping rescuers would lift me out of that mushroom cloud.
Rescue Fired a Shot When Hope was at its Lowest
Honestly, I was convinced that the rescuers would never spot me; from where I was, they couldn’t see me in the deep core of the crush. When they finally pulled me out, relief was stellar.
What Went Down: The Aftermath
- Broken ribs: “Bend‑break banquet.”
- Bruised eyes: “Diva’s dramatic eye makeup gone wrong.”
- Kidney and liver damage: “Never again, my important organs have moved out of the game.”
- First‑degree face burn: “Getting drag‑dagnation. The burn flashed across the right side, as if someone sprayed a one‑liner, “More heat, I need you to burn (not be height!)!””
Hospital Life and Lengthy Recovery
I entered the hospital on October 29, and after a month of nursing, I finally stepped out on December 1, as announced in that heartfelt Instagram post. It’s a milestone and a solemn farewell to the injuries that threatened my life.
Takeaway from the Encounter
Even though I felt the heart‑thudding panic, the story turned something terrifying into a valuable lesson: keep your personal space, stay alert in a crowd, and never give up when rescuers are out there.
Friends didn’t make it
When Chaos Turns Friendships into Pain
It’s one of those night‑time oops moments that turns into a sob story. She remembers the last time she saw her friends: the moment she slipped and the crowd carried her—and the hope that the evening would be unforgettable vanished in a split second.
The Hard Truth
“I honestly don’t get how I made it out alive while they didn’t,” she confesses, voice cracking with grief and rage. “I feel so guilty—I could have done something, but I didn’t. Not being there to protect them feels like a personal failure now,” she says.
Why They Were There
They had marched into Itaewon for a great Halloween bash, wanting to prove that the celebration was as fun as the locals say. They weren’t looking for danger—they were simply craving good vibes and a story they’d brag about for weeks.
What’s Next
AsiaOne has reached out to the victim for more context, hoping to paint a fuller picture of the night that will forever haunt those who survived. The community now watches closely, holding the weight of what could have happened for the next generational festival.
Singaporean caught in crush
Surviving the Nightmare: Koh Ming En’s Harrowing Tale from Itaewon
When a crowd becomes a dare‑devil’s roller‑coaster
Koh Ming En, a Singaporean who had planned a fun Halloween night in Itaewon, found himself dancing on the edge of a tragedy. He went with two friends, but the music and lights turned into a claustrophobic maze.
- Lost his buddies in the stampede
- Struggled to breathe between the masses
- Climbed onto a ledge to escape
- Left with cuts, but saved from a much worse fate
He says, “I was the last one to slip out of the chaos. Both of my friends walked away unscathed. I came out with a few cuts—nothing compared to those who fainted or got crushed. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we had stayed. We could have died.”
Key Takeaways
Experts point out that the Halloween crush in South Korea could have been avoided had safety measures been properly enforced.
For more viewpoints and survivor stories, check out South Korea’s deadly Halloween crush was avoidable, experts say.
email: [email protected]
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
