A young Australian woman who tragically died in a Halloween stampede on the streets of Seoul, South Korea, posted an ominous message about her death just weeks before the tragedy.
Grace Rached, 23, went to the celebrations in the central Itaewon district, on Saturday night, dressed as Audrey Hepburn with three of her friends when the disaster unfolded.
Ms Rached had been travelling around the world and just two days before the disaster, she uploaded a TikTok video of herself on a trip to Bali which showed her having the time of her life with her friends - swimming, cycling, drinking, and dancing.
In another post from August this year, Ms Rached posted an ominous video called "what I've learned in my almost 24 years of life".
She wrote in the clip: "When you go, nothing goes with you. So you may as well enjoy your time here."
The film production assistant became jammed in a crowd of people and became one of 153 people killed in what her friend Nathan Taverniti described on TikTok as a "slow and agonising crush".
Distressing videos of the event show young people, teens and in their 20s, packed into a narrow, sloped alley so tightly they couldn't move.
They then started being pushed in every direction as people were desperate to leave, with some dragged to the floor and others suffocated by the mass of people.
Itaewon is one of the most popular neighbourhoods in Seoul for a night out, and for the first time since Covid, it was hosting its first unmasked Halloween celebrations.
Mr Taverniti blamed the lack of planning and police preparedness for the disaster.
He said: "I watched as people filmed and sang and laughed while my friends were dying among with many other people.
"I was there trying to pull people out because there was not enough police officers and nobody was doing anything to make the crowd stop.
"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."
Rached’s family said she was a talented film producer who was passionate about making a difference.
“We are missing our gorgeous angel Grace, who lit up the room with her infectious smile,” they said in a statement on Monday.
“Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met. Grace always cared about others and she was loved by all.”
