South Korea Halloween stampede | Chocolates, flowers and soju as Seoul mourns its dead

An estimated 1,00,000 people had gathered in the popular location, known for trendy nightclubs, restaurants and bars, for South Korea's biggest outdoor Halloween festivities

Buzzing with fun and laughter till just the other day, Itaewon is quiet and grim, the deaths of 156 people in a Halloween stampede on October 29 casting a dark shadow on the hub of the South Korean capital’s glittering nightlife.

Some shops are open and many closed, there’s barely any traffic and the air is heavy with the fragrance of incense sticks at the makeshift memorial near the alley where a swelling crowd of party goers got out of control. The stampede that followed killed 156 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, and injured more than 170.

"People seem to be avoiding the area," said a taxi driver who has ferried barely any passengers to the entertainment district.

White chrysanthemums — symbolic of grief in South Korea — bottles of soju, a local liquor, chocolates and cigarettes are some of the farewell gifts mourners have left behind at the memorial near Hamilton Hotel.

"My pretty friend, Yu-na... Sorry," reads a letter, mourning the death of a dearly loved one who got caught in the crush.

Memories of the day are still fresh and many don’t want to discuss it.

"I'm sorry," said a tired shopkeeper, waiting for customers and refusing to talk about the tragedy that unfolded that night.