151 killed in stampede at Halloween party in South Korea

Seoul – at least At least 151 people were killed and dozens injured when a large crowd crushed them on a narrow street during Halloween celebrations in the capital Seoul. South Korean officials said.

Choi Seong-beom, chief of the Yongsan Fire Department in Seoul, told a news conference early on (local time) that the death toll had risen to 149. and the number of injured was 79. However, two more deaths were later confirmed. Among the dead are 19 foreigners.

Officials say people believed They were crushed After a large crowd began to advance down a narrow alley Near Hamilton Hotel, A major party venue in Seoul.

Neighborhood This is it It is known for its Halloween celebrations and thousands of people gather on its narrow streets, officials said.

President of South Korea Yoon Suk-yeolHe ordered first aid teams to be dispatched to the scene and asked hospitals to prepare to receive the injured. The President called an emergency meeting of the Presidential Crisis Management Center in Yongsan, Seoul. Seoul Mayor Oh Sae Hoon has also been informed and is canceling a four-nation tour and returning from Europe.

In photos released by Yonhap, more than a dozen people can be seen lying in the cordoned-off street, some of them being tended to by rescuers.

Choi said More than 400 emergency personnel and 140 vehicles from across the country, including all personnel in Seoul, fanned the streets to treat the injured.

Television footage and photographs showed ambulances lining the streets and emergency workers carrying the injured on stretchers amid a heavy police presence. Emergency personnel and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying on the streets. Many of the injured were seen covered in yellow blankets.

Some local media reported earlier The crash happened after crowds of people rushed to the Itaewon bar after hearing that an unidentified celebrity was visiting.

Local media reported that around 100,000 people thronged the streets of Itaewon for Halloween festivities, the largest in years since Covid-19 restrictions were eased in recent months.

AP and AFP agencies

Nation