Casablanca – In South Korea’s worst disaster in years, a 100,000-people Halloween crowd turned deadly, killing at least 151 people and injuring 82 others.
The victims, mostly teenagers and young adults, were celebrating Halloween on Saturday night in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in central Seoul.
According to Korean media, the incident occurred around 10 p.m. local time when a large crowd flooded a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel.
“The high number of casualties was the result of many being trampled during the Halloween event,” Chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department Choi Seong-beom told reporters at the scene on Sunday morning, adding that most of the victims were women and young people in their 20s.
Among the victims, 19 foreigners were also killed, including people from Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway, the official detailed, warning that the death toll could rise.
Read also: Overcrowding and Chaos Result in Injuries at Casablanca Festival
More than 1,700 emergency responders from across the country were deployed to the streets to assist the injured, including nearly 520 firefighters, 1,100 police officers, and 70 government employees.
According to police, several people were given CPR on the streets, while others were taken to nearby hospitals.
Witnesses to the events said that some victims were trapped for more than an hour before being rescued from the crush of people in the alley.
Videos shared on social media showed dozens of people at the roadside covered in blue plastic sheets, while others were receiving CPR in the streets.
The incident marked the first Halloween celebration in Seoul in three years, following the country’s lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures.
