Seoul, Oct. 30 (BUS): At least 151 people were killed and 82 others injured in a deadly stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon district as huge crowds of party-goers, many in their late teens and twenties, gathered at the entertainment district of late. Halloween night celebrations.
The deadliest stampede in South Korean history occurred Saturday night in a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel in the popular nightlife district after tens of thousands of people visited the area to celebrate Halloween.
At least 19 foreigners from several countries including Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway were among the 151 people killed, the Korean News Agency (Yonhap) reported.
As of nine o’clock on Sunday morning, there were 82 wounded, 19 of whom were seriously injured.
Among the dead, 97 were female and 54 were male, said Choi who houses the Yongsan Itaewon fire department where Korea’s worst stampede occurred.
According to Yonhap, the stampede represents the worst tragedy in South Korea since the 2014 ferry sinking of Seoul that killed 304 people, most of them high school students.
This was Seoul’s first Halloween event in three years after the country lifted several COVID-19 restrictions. Most of the people on the streets were dressed in Halloween costumes.
Authorities also said that the victims in their late teens and twenties represented the age group most affected by the accident. It is not yet known if the victims were minors.
Video footage showed rescue workers and ordinary people performing CPR on the victims on the streets.
The fire authorities initially received dozens of reports from people in the Itaewon region of patients with breathing difficulties. The first report was submitted around 10:15 p.m.
Witnesses and survivors said that a large group of people rushed into the alley of the ramp, about 4 meters wide, and others promptly pushed them.
An unidentified witness wrote on Twitter: “People kept going down the alley of a ramp club, causing other people to scream and fall like dominoes.” “I thought I would crash to death too as people kept pushing without realizing that there were people falling at the beginning of the stampede.”
President Yoon Seok Yeol addressed the nation live from the office of the Presidency; “The tragedy and disaster of Saturday should not have happened,” he said.
The president also declared a period of national mourning for the stampede.
The presidential office said Yun, before addressing the nation, also chaired two back-to-back emergency meetings, instructing officials to quickly provide first aid and treat the wounded.
Yun also ordered officials to deploy emergency medical officials to Itaewon and secure emergency beds.
After presiding over an emergency meeting on the stampede, Yoon instructed officials to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.
Separately, Prime Minister Han Duk-soo instructed officials to make maximum efforts to minimize damage.
City officials said Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is on a visit to Europe, has decided to return home in the wake of the incident.
The Seoul city government said that as of early Sunday, 355 people were reported missing in connection with the accident.
Police said they were doing their best to confirm the identity of the victims and then make contact with their family members.
Police are planning to launch an investigation soon into whether bars and clubs in the area comply with safety rules.
US President Joe Biden expressed his “deepest condolences”.
“Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Seoul. We mourn the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured,” Biden said in a statement. , referring to First Lady Jill Biden.
“The alliance between our two countries has never been more vibrant or more vibrant – and the relations between our two peoples are stronger than ever. The United States stands by the Republic of Korea during this tragic time,” he said.
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