COLUMBUS, South Korea — At least 120 people were murdered, 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 grow and that an unidentified number of the injured were in serious condition after the Saturday night stampede in the Itaewon entertainment district.
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.
According to officials, victims were crushed to death when a large throng began to push forward in a tight lane outside the Hamilton Hotel, a prominent party venue in Seoul, during a celebration.
More than 800 first responders and police officers from across the country, including every available officer in Seoul, were 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 depicted ambulances queuing up in the streets alongside a significant police presence and emergency personnel transporting injured patients on stretchers. Onlookers and emergency personnel were also observed administering CPR to stricken individuals on 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.
Read more Over 100 people were killed after a Halloween crowd surge in Seoul.
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.
Earlier local media sources stated that the crowding occurred because many 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 send disaster medical support teams rapidly 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 pandemic’s beginning due to the recent relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions.
Watch Halloween crowd surge in Seoul Video
