At least 151 young people have died in a crush as huge Halloween crowds surged into a narrow street in South Korea’s capital, Seoul. This is the deadliest stampede in the country’s history.
The crush in Itaewon, the most popular neighborhood in Seoul, injured another 82 people.
Most of the dead were teenagers or in their 20s. Nineteen foreigners from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway, are also among the dead.
Police and rescue workers rushed to the scene. Emergency workers from around the country were deployed to the district to treat the injured in a temporary medical center.
Police confirmed dozens of people were given cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the streets, while others were taken to nearby hospitals. Bodies were lined up along the street covered in blue blankets.
“When I first attempted CPR there were two victims lying on the pavement. But the number exploded soon after, outnumbering first responders at the scene,” Lee Beom-suk, a doctor who administered first aid to victims, told local broadcaster YTN. “So many victims’ faces were pale. I could not catch their pulse or breath and many of them had a bloody nose. When I tried CPR, I also pumped blood out of their mouths.”
National tragedy
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a period of national mourning following a deadly Halloween crush in Seoul as grieving relatives flocked to the city’s hospitals searching for their missing family members.
“This is truly tragic,” Yoon said in a statement. The president said that the government’s top priority is to support the families of the victims, including their funeral preparations, and the treatment of the injured.
He also called for officials to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and review the safety of other large cultural and entertainment events.
An estimated 100,000 people came to celebrate the event on Saturday to mark the first unmasked Halloween since the start of the pandemic. This was the first big event for many young people to get out and party.
Videos and images from the immediate aftermath showed chaotic scenes in a narrow, sloped alleyway that was overcrowded with people and police appeared to have trouble maintaining control of the crowds. “It was at least 10 times more crowded than usual,” Moon Ju-young, 21, told Reuters.
The stampede marked the worst tragedy in South Korea since the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol that killed 304 people, mostly young people.
World leaders express condolences
US President Joe Biden offered his deepest condolences to the families who lose their loved ones.
“We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured,” he said in a statement, adding that the United States “stands with the Republic of Korea during this tragic time.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted that the “tragic events in Seoul come as a shock to all of us.”
“Our thoughts are with the numerous victims and their families,” Scholz said. “This is a sad day for South Korea. Germany stands by their side.”
French President Emmanuel Macron offered France’s “heartfelt” support to South Korea after the tragic incident. “France is by your side,” Macron said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.”