South Korea: Death toll mounts to 153 at Seoul's Halloween stampede

South Korea: Death toll mounts to 153 at Seoul's Halloween stampede

The deadliest stampede in South Korea's history happened on Saturday night in a narrow downhill alley near Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon after tens of thousands of people visited the area for Halloween.

IANSUpdated: Sunday, October 30, 2022, 06:46 PM IST
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South Korea: Death toll mounts to 153 at Seoul's Halloween stampede | Twitter/Beijing times

Seoul: The death toll in the Halloween stampede in South Korea's capital Seoul has mounted to 153 and could rise further, as 19 people sustained serious injuries.

The deadliest stampede in South Korea's history happened Saturday night in a narrow four-meter-wide downhill alley near Hamilton Hotel in the famous nightlife district after tens of thousands of people visited the area for Halloween, Yonhap news agency reported.

It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted many COVID-19 restrictions. Most of the people on the streets were wearing Halloween costumes.

As of Sunday, 9 am, a total of 151 people, including 19 foreigners, have been killed and 82 others injured, 19 of them seriously, according to Choi Seong-beom, head of the fire department in Yongsan, which includes Itaewon.

Of those killed, a majority of at least 97 were female and 54 are male, Choi said.

According to observers, women took a bigger blow due mainly to their relatively smaller frame, combined with usually heavier Halloween costumes.

The number of foreigners killed rose to 22, according to the fire authorities.

They are four each from China and Iran; three from Russia; and one each from the United States, France, Australia, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Norway, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Austria, they said. The nationality of the last victim has not yet been identified.

However, the interior ministry put the number of foreign casualties at 20.

An explanation for the discrepancy was not immediately available.

Police have also launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Fire authorities initially received dozens of reports from people in the Itaewon area -- home to ex-pat communities with its hip nightlife and chic restaurants -- about patients with breathing difficulties. The first report was made around 10:15 p.m.

The stampede began "instantly" after some people fell over and caused others to fall down like "dominoes"

Witnesses and survivors say a massive group of people surged into the back alley, and the stampede began "instantly" after some people fell over and caused others to fall down like "dominoes" and pile up on one another, unable to move or breathe.

The back alley in question is a downhill 4-meter-by-40-meter path that links a busy restaurant district with the main street, where about six adults can barely pass at the same time.

"As people in the front fell over, those in the back were crushed," a witness in his 20s told Yonhap news agency.

"People kept pushing down into a downhill club alley, resulting in other people screaming and falling down like dominos," an unidentified witness wrote on Twitter. "I thought I would be crushed to death too as people kept pushing without realizing there were people falling down at the start of the stampede."

Video footage showed rescue workers and ordinary people desperately conducting CPR on victims on the streets.

A sudden influx of about 300 patients needing CPR and other first-aid measures also left rescuers shorthanded, while heavy return-home traffic in the area added to the difficulties, according to witnesses.

Rumours at the scene were that a crowd of people had flocked to a place to see a celebrity or candies laced with drugs had been distributed at clubs, but the exact cause of the accident is yet to be known.

S Korea's President addresses the nation

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addressed the nation live from the presidential office, saying Saturday's "tragedy and disaster should never have happened".

The President also announced a period of national mourning over the stampede.

Before addressing the nation, Yoon also presided over two successive emergency meetings, ordering officials to swiftly administer first aid and treat the injured, the presidential office said.

The President 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 thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident.

Prime Minister to return from tour

Separately, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed officials to make utmost efforts to minimise damages.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is on a visit to Europe, decided to return home in the wake of the accident, city officials said.

A total of 848 personnel, including 346 firefighters, were mobilised for the area.

As of early Sunday, some 270 missing reports were made in connection with the accident, the Seoul city government said.

Police said they are making utmost efforts in confirming the identity of the victims and then making contacts with their family members.

Police plan to launch an investigation soon into whether bars and clubs in the area were in compliance with safety regulations.

The stampede marked the worst tragedy in South Korea since the 2014 sinking of the ferry Sewol that killed 304 people, mostly high school students.

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