Sunday October 30, 2022
Rescuers work at the site of a stampede accident in Itaewon, a district of Seoul, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2022. (NEWSIS via Xinhua)
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- At least 146 people were killed and 150 others injured in a stampede that occurred Saturday night at Itaewon, a district of the South Korean capital Seoul, during Halloween gatherings, local authorities said early Sunday morning.
Local media reported earlier that about 50 people were suspected to have gone into cardiac arrest in the accident. More than 140 first-aid vehicles had been sent to the scene to rescue the injured.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted fire authorities as reporting that at least 149 people, including two foreigners, had been confirmed dead, and 76 others were injured, 19 of them seriously. The number of deaths could rise further.The accident was believed to have happened near a narrow alley next to a hotel in the famous nightclub Itaewon district Saturday night. It was said that the partygoers at the front fell, and the people at the back were crushed.
Several large Halloween gatherings took place at Itaewon and the police estimated that roughly 100,000 people had participated in the Halloween parties.
Shortly after the stampede took place, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol convened two emergency meetings and ordered officials to secure enough hospital beds for the injured, establish an accident management headquarters, and properly deal with the aftermath including identifying the dead and investigating the cause of the accident.