The Gwangju Massacre occurred after then president President Chun declared martial law. The next day, on May 18, students in the city of Gwangju gathered in front of the Chonnam National University to protest the closing of that university. Armed forces stationed around the university quickly responded with violent force. The violence quickly spread throughout the city of Gwangju as the students moved their demonstration to the downtown area and where they were joined by city residents. The uprising lasted until May 27, when the government sent in over 200,000 military personnel to quash the uprising. The revolt lasted for only 90 more minutes. To this day exact numbers on fatalities are unknown, but the official government investigation estimated the death count to be 207 during the Gwangju Massacre. Other parties have estimated the death count to be in the thousands.