Seoul

2022 - 10 - 29

Over 100 dead after Halloween crowd surge in Seoul (NPR)

Officials said people were likely crushed to death after a stampede in a narrow alley near a major party spot on Saturday night in the South Korean capital.

The National Fire Agency separately said in a statement that officials were still trying to determine the exact number of emergency patients. This was the deadliest crushing disaster in South Korean history. Another survivor in his 20s said he avoided being trampled by managing to get into a bar whose door was open at the alley, Yonhap news agency reported. The last South Korean disaster this deadly also hit young people the hardest. In an interview with news channel YTN, Hwang Min-hyeok, a visitor to Itaewon, said it was shocking to see rows of bodies near the hotel. People wailed beside the bodies of their friends, he said.

At least 146 dead in Seoul Halloween crowd crush, officials say (The Washington Post)

At least 146 dead in Seoul Halloween crowd crush, officials say · The South Korean presidential office said President Yoon Suk-yeol had been briefed on the ...

They can also occur at holidays, sporting events, and other celebrations; in January, [CNN reported](https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/01/asia/indian-stampede-intl/index.html#:~:text=A%20stampede%20at%20one%20of,30%20a.m.%20local%20time%20Saturday), at least a dozen people were killed at a holy shrine in India on New Year’s Day. Such crushes are often driven by panic or urgency at large events. It was the second major deadly crush this month, after at least 130 people were killed on Oct.

South Korea Crowd Surge News: At Least 146 Killed (The New York Times)

Another 150 were reported injured when they were crushed during a Halloween celebration in Seoul on Saturday night.

At least 59 people were killed and an additional 150 were injured after they were crushed in a large Halloween crowd in Itaewon, central Seoul, said Choi Seong-beom, the chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department. At least 120 people were killed and an additional 100 were injured after they were crushed under a large Halloween crowd in Itaewon, central Seoul, said Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department. “There were so many people that we couldn’t move,” said Song Su-yeon, 46, who was visiting from Incheon and arrived at Itaewon station an hour after the event. “The death toll could rise,” said Choi Jae-won, a senior Seoul health official. Emergency vehicles struggled to make their way to and from the site, with roads jammed and pedestrians spilling into traffic. Medics and police officers, now gathered in the hundreds, say they are waiting to identify and confirm the dead. “The top priority is to evacuate and save the victims. “People crushed under the crowd were crying and I thought I would be crushed to death, too, breathing through a hole and crying for help.” “There were so many people that we couldn’t move,” said Song Su-yeon, 46, who was visiting from the city of Incheon and arrived at the Itaewon subway station an hour after the event. “The reports out of Seoul are heartbreaking. One showed emergency workers in neon vests pumping furiously on the chests of people spread on the ground in a desperate attempt to revive them. Kim Geun-jin, a division commander for the Seoul police, said that little could be reported about the cause of the incident as of 4 a.m.

At least 149 killed in Seoul Halloween crowd surge (CNN)

More than 140 people are now reported to have been killed during an incident at Halloween festivities in Seoul, according to fire authorities.

[Authorities said](https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/seoul-south-korea-halloween-deaths#h_ff225fb5483df845912084178f401ffd) the emergency was not due to a gas leak or a fire in the popular nightclub district. [reported](https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/seoul-south-korea-halloween-deaths#h_47b30d4279a84877cd25931839f98e33) dozens of people suffered from “cardiac arrest” and trouble breathing. [were jammed](https://www.cnn.com/asia/live-news/seoul-south-korea-halloween-deaths#h_ff225fb5483df845912084178f401ffd) on a narrow street and could not breathe. “The person in the middle got jammed, so they had no way to communicate. “I saw the people going to the left side and I saw the person getting to the opposite side,” Sung Sehyun told CNN. The cause of injuries and deaths in the incident has not been officially confirmed, added Choi Jae-won, the head of Yongsan Health Center.

Statement by President Joe Biden on Tragedy in Seoul, Republic of ... (The White House)

Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Seoul. We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best ...

At least 149 dead, many injured, in Halloween crowd crush in Seoul (The Washington Post)

SEOUL — At least 149 people died and another 75 were injured Saturday night into early Sunday after a huge crowd celebrating Halloween in the narrow streets ...

We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured.” But an hour later, the crowd he was in grew out of control, and one of his friends lost sight of him, the friend told Boseong’s girlfriend, Gabriela Pares, who was in the United States watching the scene on a TikTok live stream. In January, [CNN reported](https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/01/asia/indian-stampede-intl/index.html#:~:text=A%20stampede%20at%20one%20of,30%20a.m.%20local%20time%20Saturday), at least a dozen people were killed at a holy shrine in India on New Year’s Day. She said she would leave for South Korea on Sunday to be with his family. Seoul officials said they were keeping a list of people calling to ask about missing relatives. A devastated Pares said she was waiting for news from half a world away. While there were rumors circulating, no reports surfaced immediately of something setting off a surge of people somewhere in the vicinity. The pent-up excitement let loose on Friday: At bars and clubs, patrons expressed surprise at how crowded Itaewon was — and some fears about how chaotic Saturday would be. Many were costumed in all manner of garb, from flashy party clothes to garish Halloween costumes. The area of restaurants and bars is popular with young people and foreign tourists. Some 50 minutes later, the reports said, the fire department upgraded the seriousness of the incident, dispatching some 2,400 emergency responders and an estimated 142 ambulances. On one street, as contained chaos swirled around them, pairs of young people desperately performed CPR on people lying on the pavement.

World leaders grieve deadly Halloween crowd surge in Seoul (ABC News)

World leaders have expressed sadness and condolences after at least 151 people were killed in a crowd surge Saturday night in Seoul, South Korea.

“They were looking for a night of lighthearted Halloween festivities but instead found real horror and death,” said Baerbock. He also expressed condolences to the victims of the accident and their families. “The Itaewon community has opened its arms to us for many years and is part of the reason our Alliance is so strong,” the command said, writing in English and Korean. “The United States stands with the Republic of Korea during this tragic time.” The area is still home to restaurants, bars and other businesses catering to the American community in Seoul. The tragedy occurred in Seoul’s Itaewon district during Halloween festivities when a huge crowd surged into a narrow downhill alley.