At least 120 people were killed and another 100 were injured as a result of a massive crowd pushing forward on a narrow roadway during Halloween celebrations in the South Korean capital, Seoul, according to officials.
Choi Seong-beom, chief of the Yongsan fire department in Seoul, stated that the death toll could climb and that a number of the injured were in severe condition.
According to him, 74 of the deceased have been transferred to hospitals, while the bodies of the remaining 46 are being transported to a nearby gym so that personnel may identify them.
Choi stated that it was thought that victims were crushed to death after a large throng began to press ahead in a tight alley near Hamilton Hotel, a famous party venue in Seoul, after a large crowd began to push forward.
He stated that more than 400 emergency personnel and 140 vehicles from throughout the country, including all available personnel in Seoul, had been dispatched to the streets to treat the injured.
Separately, the National Fire Agency stated that officials were still attempting to determine the precise number of emergency patients.
TV images and photographs from the incident depicted ambulances lined up in the streets alongside a large police presence and emergency personnel transporting injured victims on stretchers. Onlookers and emergency personnel were also observed administering CPR to stricken individuals in the streets.
In one location, paramedics were observed assessing the health of a dozen or more individuals who were still and covered in blue blankets.
Dozens of people are receiving CPR on the streets of Itaewon, according to the police, who are blocking traffic in neighboring neighborhoods to expedite the delivery of the injured to hospitals throughout the city. The Seoul Metropolitan Government released urgent text messages encouraging residents to return home immediately.
A local police officer stated that he was also notified that a stampede happened on the streets of Itaewon during Halloween celebrations. The officer requested anonymity, citing an ongoing inquiry into the incident’s specifics.
Earlier local media sources stated that the crowding occurred because a big number of people flocked to a pub in Itaewon after hearing that an unidentified celebrity had come.
President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea released a statement urging officials to ensure prompt medical care for the injured and assess the safety of the celebration places. In addition, he ordered the Health Ministry to rapidly send disaster medical support teams and secure hospital beds for treating the injured.
Local media said that over 100,000 people attended the Halloween celebrations in Itaewon, which were the largest since the beginning of the pandemic due to the recent relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions.