146 killed, 150 injured in stampede at Seoul Halloween Celebration (Updated)
According to fire officials, as many as 146 people were killed and 150 more were injured in a catastrophic stampede in Seoul's Itaewon neighbourhood on Sunday, as enormous groups of partygoers stampeded amid late-night Halloween celebrations.
As many as 146 people were killed and 150 others were injured in a catastrophic stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon neighbourhood on Sunday, as enormous groups of partygoers stampeded amid late-night Halloween celebrations, fire officials said.
According to witnesses, the disaster happened on Saturday evening in a tiny downhill lane near Hamilton Hotel in the famed nightlife zone when a swarm of partygoers surged into it.
According to Yonhap news agency, tens of thousands of people gathered in the neighbourhood for Halloween festivities.
As of early Sunday morning, 146 people have been confirmed dead, with 150 more injured, according to fire officials, who added that the death toll might climb further.
According to Choi Seong-beom, Head of the Yongsan Fire Department, which encompasses Itaewon, “several injuries were caused when a mass of people fell down during Halloween festivities.”
According to the police, victims in their twenties were the age group most affected by the disaster.
Initially, fire officials got scores of calls from residents in the Itaewon region about patients having breathing issues. Rescuers dispatched to the location performed CPR on dozens of casualties on a nearby road.
“Those in the back were crushed as individuals in the front tumbled down,” a witness in his twenties told Yonhap news agency.
Rumours at the site said that a large throng had gathered to watch a celebrity or that drugs-laced sweets had been distributed at clubs, but the precise reason of the disaster remains unknown.
President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over two emergency meetings shortly after the stampede, directing authorities to deliver first aid and treat the injured as soon as possible, according to the presidential office.
Yoon also directed that emergency medical personnel be dispatched to Itaewon and that emergency beds be secured.
Yoon, who presided over an emergency meeting on the stampede, directed officials to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the cause of the catastrophe.
Separately, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo directed officials to make every effort to mitigate the damage.
Meanwhile, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is on a trip to Europe, has opted to come home in the aftermath of the disaster, according to municipal authorities.
A total of 848 people, including 346 firemen, were called to the scene.
Police want to initiate an inquiry into whether the area’s pubs and clubs were in conformity with safety requirements as soon as possible.
