South Korea’s first primary Halloween party since covid restrictions ended turned into a tragedy Saturday night, when at least 151 people, mostly teenagers and young adults, died as revelers roamed a narrow alley in a popular nightlife district in Seoul. officials said.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident, but Choi Seong-bum, fire chief of Yongsan-gu, said it was an “alleged stampede” and many other people fell, injuring at least 82 others.
Among the dead were at least 19 foreign nationals, Iranians, Norwegians, Chinese and Uzbeks, he said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol convened an emergency assembly in the early hours of Sunday and then went to the scene to get information from emergency officials.
Addressing the nation, he called for an era of national mourning “until the control of the turn of fate ends. “Prime Minister Han Duck-so later said the era of mourning would end on Nov. 5.
“A tragedy that shouldn’t have happened in the middle of Seoul last night on Halloween,” Yoon said. “I pray for those who died in an unexpected twist of fate and hope the wounded are quick. “
Tens of thousands of revelers flocked to the Itaewon nightclub district on Saturday night to attend South Korea’s first Halloween birthday party since crowd limits and face mask regulations imposed by the Covid pandemic were lifted.
Witnesses said that even before the chaos broke out, revelers were so cramped into the narrow streets that it was difficult to move.
“I’ve noticed other people passing by on the left side and I’ve noticed the user passing by on the opposite side. Then, the user in the middle got stuck, so he had no way to communicate, he couldn’t breathe,” he witnessed. Sung Sehyun told CNN. He said the area looked like a “blocked subway. “
A video posted on social media showed other people doing compressions on other revelers lying on the ground waiting for medical help.
“We saw a scene from a movie. . . like things that happen in a war,” witness Park Jung-Hoon, 21, told Reuters. It was absolutely out of control. “
The Yonhap news firm reported that other people suffered “cardiac arrest,” attributing it to firefighters. Emergency officials helped at least 81 other people in Seoul’s Itaewon district, reporting “difficulty breathing. “
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, though authorities said there were no fuel leaks or fires at the scene when they received the first emergency calls from other people “buried” in the crowd at 10:24 p. m.
Police cordoned off the domain and videos on social media showed others dressed in Halloween costumes lying in the streets and on stretchers as first responders brought in help and lines of ambulances formed to take away the injured.
Dozens of other people have been moved to nearby facilities, said Choi Jae-won, director of Yongsan’s gym. The bodies of the patients were taken to several hospital morgues, the government added.
The Seoul city government obtained reports of missing other people as friends and family were looking for other people who were known to be present at the event and who did not return home.
On Sunday, police scanned the sidewalk for private belongings and identity as they tried to determine the final number of injured and dead.
People are coming to Seoul from all over Asia to celebrate Halloween in Itaewon, and this year’s event was seen as a welcome return to post-pandemic festivities. Paid hotels and events in the community were booked in advance and large crowds were expected.
However, before midnight, the festivities took a dark turn, as the first shouts were heard among the crowd.
Witness Sung said he had to make his way through the crowd the night before to get away from busy streets. “I was lucky enough to pass by (but an hour later) I heard that other people had been killed. in. . . And other people were beaten.
Juliette Kayyem, a crisis management expert and CNN national security analyst, said the city’s density, and crowds in Seoul, possibly played a role in the tragedy.
“The citizens of Seoul are used to being in crowded spaces, it’s imaginable that they were absolutely not alarmed in the crowded streets,” he said. spaces”.
It’s hard to know what may have triggered the crash, but the government “would have expected maximum numbers by Saturday night,” he added. “It’s the government’s duty to monitor the volume of the crowd in real time, so they can feel the desire to get other people out. “
More than 1,700 emergency response forces were dispatched Saturday night, totaling 517 firefighters, 1,100 police and about 70 civil servants.
In a televised address on Sunday, President Yoon said the crisis would be investigated and measures would be taken to ensure that similar incidents do not happen again.
“We will ask the relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Interior and Security, to conduct emergency inspections not only for Halloween occasions but also for local festivals and to manage them very well so that they are carried out in an orderly and safe manner,” Yoon said, adding. that a “multipurpose emergency system” would be for both the injured and the families of the dead.
“I pray for those who died in an unexpected twist of fate and hope the wounded are quick,” Yoon said.
Yoon also ordered the government to “quickly” identify the sick for the sake of the families involved, said Chief Presidential Secretary for Public Relations Kim Eun-hye.
He has declared Yongsan-gu district, where Itaewon is located, a special crisis area.
The U. S. Department of State The U. S. Department of Health and Human Rights said a U. S. citizen was injured in the crash. “We are working with the local government to determine if any other U. S. citizens have been affected and are in a position to provide consular assistance,” the State Department official said.
Leaders from around the world sent their condolences to South Korea and those affected by the disaster.
“Jill and I extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost their relatives in Seoul,” U. S. President Joe Biden said in a statement. recovery to all those who have been injured. “
The U. S. government is in a position to provide South Korea with “everything it needs,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan wrote on Twitter Saturday.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: “Our whole mind is with those who are responding right now and all South Koreans at this very complicated time. “In a tweet written in French and Korean, President Emmanuel Macron said: “France is at your disposal. “side. “
Once ostracized among locals as a seedy soft red light district, Itaewon has been remodeled to become one of Seoul’s party spots. Known for its nightlife and trendy restaurants, the domain comes alive at night.
It is also home to Seoul’s thriving Muslim and gay communities and is close to a U. S. Army base. U. S.
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