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At least 153 people, mostly teenagers, died in a stampede when massive Halloween crowds flooded a narrow street in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, in what has the country’s worst crisis in years.
Rescuers and pedestrians desperately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on other people on the streets after the crash in the Itaewon nightlife district at night.
At least 82 other people were reportedly injured and rushed to hospital. Authorities fear the death toll could rise.
Those killed or wounded were mostly teenagers and others in their twenties, according to Choi Seong-beom, leader of Seoul’s fire in Yongsan.
Among the dead were 19 foreigners, he said, whose nationalities were not disclosed.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol declared an era of national mourning as reactions of surprise and condolences poured in from the rest of the world.
An estimated 100,000 more people had gathered in Itaewon for the country’s largest Halloween festivities since the pandemic began, and strict rules on gatherings were enforced.
More than 150 dead after fatal Halloween festivities in Seoul
World leaders to offer condolences to victims
South Korea’s president calls for investigation as country mourns
People were collapsing ‘like dominoes’: witnesses and survivors of the horror of the stampede
Four Chinese nationals killed 22 foreigners
14:51, Maria Zakir Hussain
South Korean actor Lee Ji-han among 154 others who died in the crowd in Itaewon, Seoul, on Saturday, Oct. 29.
At least 132 others are believed to have been injured, adding 37 in serious condition, and the death toll is feared to rise.
An estimated 100,000 other people had gathered in the city’s nightlife district for Halloween celebrations when the fatal accident occurred.
On Sunday, October 30, acting agencies 935 Entertainment and 9ato Entertainment showed that Lee died in the disaster.
24-year-old actor Lee Ji-han dies amid crowd in Seoul
14:20, Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Two American academics were among 154 others who died in a mass crisis at Halloween celebrations in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, on Saturday night.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday declared a week-long era of national mourning for those who lost their lives in the resulting crowd after up to 100,000 revelers filled Itaewon’s nightlife district.
Among the dead was 20-year-old Anna Gieske, an American University of Kentucky nursing student who had studied in South Korea and recorded her travels on Instagram.
Two American academics among 154 killed in Seoul disaster
13:50, Maryam Zakir-Hussain
An Australian survivor of the Halloween crowd in Seoul recounted how other people filmed, sang and laughed as their friends died.
At least another 154 people are believed to have died in the Itaewon stampede on Saturday, while another 132 were injured, adding 37 in serious condition, amid fears the number will be reduced in the coming days.
Those killed or wounded were mostly teenagers and others in their twenties, according to Choi Seong-beom, leader of Seoul’s fire in Yongsan.
Among the 26 foreigners who died, film maker Grace Rached, 23, of Sydney, Australia, described through her circle of relatives as a “beautiful angel” lighting up a room with his “infectious smile. “
Emily Atkinson reports:
Seoul Crash Survivor Says “People Were Filmed While My Friends Were Dying”
13:18, Mary Zakir Hussain
An Australian who survived the tragic race in Seoul paid tribute to his deceased on Saturday night.
In a now-deleted TikTok video, Nathan Taverniti spoke of what he called a “slow, dying crush” that has the country’s worst crisis in years.
Grace Rashed, 23, is on vacation in the South Korean capital and would have turned 24 next week.
“I was there when he said he couldn’t breathe and I grabbed a friend’s hand,” Taverniti said, wiping away tears.
He then downplayed media reports calling the crowd a “stampede” that saw another 100,000 people gather in Itaewon for the country’s largest Halloween birthday party since the pandemic began.
“It was a slow, scary weight. This weight was not caused by people. It was a lack of planning, police and emergency services,” Taverniti said.
“And no one willing to help. I saw other people filming, singing and laughing as my friends died, along with many other people. “
“I was there looking to get other people out because there weren’t enough police and nobody was doing anything to avoid the crowd. “
He added: “We were screaming, we were saying ‘you have to come back, you have to turn around, other people are dying,’ but nobody listens. “
13:01 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
As South Korea suffers, officials face tough questions, as experts say the death is considered a “man-made catastrophe. “
The national government insisted there was no way to expect the crowd to spiral out of control.
Experts disagree. The deployment of so few police, they said, showed they were unprepared when they knew in advance there would be a mass collection after COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed in recent months.
In addition to assigning more staff, police and officials in Yongsan district, which governs Itaewon, have turned some streets into pedestrian streets and taken other measures to decrease crowds in narrow alleys like the one where the deaths occurred, Mavens said.
Instead, the 137 officials at Itaewon were tasked with tracking crime, with a specific focus on drug use, meaning that for all intents and purposes “no one deals with pedestrian safety,” said Kong Ha-song, a professor of crisis prevention in South Korea at Woosuk University.
The deaths should be considered a “man-made disaster,” said Lee Changmoo, a professor of urban planning at Seoul’s Hanyang University.
The government has faced similar complaints in the national media and on social media. The headline of an editorial in the Hankyoreh newspaper on Sunday described the tragedy as “too preventable. “The newspaper said its reports showed a pedestrian was hit by a crowd in Itaewon a day before the Halloween festivities, no one was injured.
12:48, Maria Zakir Hussain
More photos of mourners paying tribute were posted after the Halloween stampede in Seoul on Saturday night.
12:10, Maryam Zakir Hussein
An Australian survivor of the Halloween crowd in Seoul recounted how other people filmed, sang and laughed as their friends died.
At least another 154 people are believed to have died in the Itaewon stampede on Saturday, while another 132 were injured, adding 37 in serious condition, amid fears the number will be reduced in the coming days.
Those killed or wounded were mostly teenagers and others in their twenties, according to Choi Seong-beom, leader of Seoul’s fire in Yongsan.
Emily Atkinson has more:
Seoul Crash Survivor Says “People Were Filmed While My Friends Were Dying”
11:47, Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Just two weeks before the tragic stampede, the Itaewon Global Village Festival, organized through a tourism agreement and sponsored by the city of Seoul and Yongsan district, had other people dressed in yellow vests leading the movement and the main road was closed to car traffic. .
But on Saturday, there were only thousands of businesses open, general traffic rules, and tens of thousands of young people eager to celebrate Halloween without primary covid restrictions for the first time since the pandemic.
“Just because it’s not a ‘festival’ doesn’t mean there’s any difference in crisis management,” said fire coverage professor Paek Seung-joo. and Disasters at Korea Open Cyber University.
“Since there was no central authority, each branch of government simply did what it does regularly: firefighters prepare for fires and police prepare for crime. There will have to be a formula where a local government takes the reins and cooperates with other governments to prepare for the worst,” he said.
Moon Hyeon-cheol, a professor at Soongsil University’s Graduate School of Disaster Safety Management, said this type of accident has the possibility of occurring in any populated city.
“We want to take this tragedy and receive information on how to prepare for crisis risk,” he said.
11:32, Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Good crowds and traffic through South Korea’s government may have prevented or at least reduced the influx of Halloween revelers into the alleyways that caused an accident and the deaths of 154 people, security experts said Monday.
Annual festivities in Seoul’s popular Itaewon nightlife district also had no central organizing entity, meaning the government was not required to identify or protect protocols.
Authorities in Yongsan district, where Itaewon is located, discussed measures to prevent illegal drug use and the spread of COVID-19 over the Halloween weekend, according to a district press release. However, there was no mention of crowd control.
On Saturday, when tragedy struck, there were an estimated 100,000 more people in Itaewon, a territory known for its rolling hills and narrow alleys. According to the Seoul subway, about 81,573 more people disembarked at Itaewon subway station that day, compared with about 23,800 last week and about 35,950 on Friday.
But there were 137 police officers in Itaewon at the time, Seoul said.
By contrast, demonstrations by unions and supporters of President Yoon Suk-yeol that drew tens of thousands of others to Gwanghwamun in central Seoul on Saturday, up to 4,000 police were deployed, a police official said.
“Lately, the police are conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the incident,” Interior and Security Minister Lee Sang-min said Monday.
“It is not appropriate to jump to conclusions before deciding the precise cause, whether it is due to the lack of police or whether there is something we deserve to replace primarily for meetings and gatherings. “
11:18, Mary Zakir Hussain
Relatives of people killed in a stampede in South Korea are searching for answers as the death toll tops 150.
Partygoers, mostly teenagers and young adults, flooded the streets of Seoul’s Itaewon district to enjoy the country’s first Halloween celebrations since Covid restrictions were lifted.
But the evening took a tragic turn when the crowd plunged into “hellish” chaos and revelers fell on most others “like dominoes. “
My colleague Aisha Rimi has more:
Families desperately search for answers as they enjoy South Korea’s Halloween tragedy
10:51, Maryam Zakir-Hussain
In case you. . .
Another 154 people were shown to have been killed and many more injured when they were crushed by a large crowd advancing down a narrow street during Halloween festivities in Seoul’s capital South Korea.
Here’s a look at some of the top mistakes of the crowd around the world over the past few decades:
A look at some of the world’s most sensible crowd disasters
10:32, Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Of the 154 killed in the stampede, 26 were foreign nationals.
One of the Americans killed was Anne Gieske, a nursing student at the University of Kentucky in northern Kentucky who was pursuing an exam program in South Korea, the university said in a statement. The other was Steven Blesi, 20, his father, Steve Blesi. , she wrote on Twitter after a previous search for data on her son.
Blesi asked for data after not hearing from his son and asked, “If you have any news, send it by percentage. “After an avalanche of responses providing assistance and support, he tweeted: “We just got confirmation that our son passed away. ” went on to “Thank you for the outpouring of love. We want time to cry. “
Australian victim Grace Rached, a film production assistant in Sydney, described through her circle of relatives as “our party life”. smile. “
Among the Japanese killed was Mei Tomikawa, who read the Korean language in Seoul, according to Japanese media. Her father, Ayumu Tomikawa, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that his daughter “really enjoyed South Korea and enjoyed her life there. “
10:09 , Maria Zakir Hussain
In a message of condolences to ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol, the king said the UK “stands in solidarity” with other South Koreans following the destruction of the Halloween holiday in Seoul.
His message, signed by Charles R. , read: “I asked you to know how deeply shocked and saddened my wife and I are to learn that many other people have lost loved ones as a result of the recent tragic incident in Itaewon. Seoul. “
“While it would be inappropriate in such heartbreaking circumstances, we express our deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. We also offer our minds and best wishes for a speedy recovery for all those who have been injured. “
“Reminding our assembly of your gracious stopover in London to attend the funeral of Her Majesty the Queen, rest assured that the United Kingdom stands with the other people of the Republic of Korea at this time of national mourning. “
09:44 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
South Korean actor Lee Ji-han among 154 others who died in the crowd in Itaewon, Seoul, on Saturday, Oct. 29.
At least 132 others are believed to have been injured, adding 37 in serious condition, and the death toll is feared to rise.
An estimated 100,000 other people had gathered in the city’s nightlife district for Halloween celebrations when the fatal accident occurred.
On Sunday, October 30, acting agencies 935 Entertainment and 9ato Entertainment showed that Lee died in the disaster.
Louis Chilton has more:
24-year-old actor Lee Ji-han dies amid crowd in Seoul
09:24 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
Hundreds of flowers and messages were left paying tribute to those who suffered the Halloween stampede in Itaewon.
Personal messages and significant plates of food were left at the tribute near the site of the tragic incident.
08:58 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
The Itaewon region, known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, is the country’s venue for Halloween-themed occasions and parties, which have gained popularity among young South Koreans in recent years.
An estimated 100,000 other people have gathered there for the country’s largest Halloween celebrations since the pandemic began.
But some business owners in Itaewon say an even greater number of others piled up pre-pandemic Halloween weekend festivities there.
Police said in a message that they sent 137 officers to police during the Halloween festivities last Saturday, far more than the 34 to 90 officers mobilized in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Citing the figures, police dismissed as a “different from the truth” hypothesis that a police station in the domain was understaffed because it had provided additional security to Yoon, who moved the country’s presidential workplace to a site near Itaewon.
Police said police security for a president has long been provided through two special police sets and those sets have nothing to do with Yongsan Police Station, whose jurisdiction includes Itaewon.
Some observers say the scope of the police investigation would come with a glaring lack of security measures, in addition to examining testimonies of the stampede caused by others deliberately pushing others and knocking them down.
08:39 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
Many business owners in Seoul’s Itaewon district, in addition to those who run restaurants, shoe stores and coffee shop operators, mourn the victims of the crowd through messages of condolence, news firm Yonhap reported.
“We, the investors of Itaewon, were incredibly shocked and feel guilty about the tragedy,” said a bakery owner, nicknamed Oh.
Community bakers also signed up for mourning and said their businesses would remain closed until the end of the mourning period.
08:24 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
A social media video that was posted Saturday night as Halloween revelers piled up on a narrow street in Itaeweon is captioned: “Be careful. “
The video shows Seoul’s busy street with massive crowds rushing down the street behind, developing as more and more people join.
08:10 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called for security measures for giant gatherings held at an assembly on Monday, his spokesman said, following the stampede.
The president also declared Itaewon a crisis zone and visited a memorial altar near Seoul City Hall to pay tribute to the victims.
07:57 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
Eyewitnesses recalled the street where the crash that killed more than 150 people became a “blocked subway. “
CNN quoted eyewitness Sung Sehyun as saying that the street area is like a “blocked subway” on Saturday nights with revelers crowded everywhere.
Witnesses also said there were very few people in front of the crowd.
“There were lines and rows of other people covered with tarps on the street,” Emily Farmer, a 27-year-old English instructor in Seoul who was passing through Itaewon, told CNN.
07:45, Maroosha Muzaffar
Two American academics were among 154 others who died in a mass crisis at Halloween celebrations in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, on Saturday night.
Read the full story here:
Two American academics among 154 killed in Seoul disaster
07:39 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
The identity of the sick is almost complete and funeral arrangements can go ahead, the South Korean prime minister said.
“We will do our best to provide the mandatory reflecting the perspectives of bereaved families as much as possible,” he added.
Jung Si-hoon, a pensioner, placed an old wooden cross on the altar, saying that nothing can be done to bring back all the young people who had died.
“These deficient people, all the same age as my grandchildren. . . What else can I say? We pray for them and wish them to rest in peace,” he said.
On Monday afternoon, dozens of crime scene investigators and forensic officers descended into trash-strewn alleys that were eerily silent with many cafes closed.
President Yoon Suk-yeol, who designated Itaewon as a crisis area, visited a memorial altar near Seoul City Hall on Monday and paid tribute to the victims.
Schools, kindergartens and businesses across the country have canceled planned Halloween events. K-pop concerts and briefings were also canceled.
07:25 , Maryam Zakir Hussain
South Korean researchers reviewed photographs from more than 50 public and private closed-circuit television cameras, as well as social media, for answers about how a building in Halloween revelers trapped in narrow alleys killed so many.
As the country began a week of mourning, the death toll rose to 154. Another 149 people were injured, 33 of them in serious condition. Citizens of at least two dozen countries were among the dead.
Prime Minister Han Duck-so promised a thorough investigation and the government said they aimed to reconstruct the chain of events that led to the outbreak and whether they might be at fault for causing the crash.
“We are analyzing surveillance cameras to determine the precise cause of the crash,” police investigative leader Nam Gu-jun told reporters.
“We will continue to interview more witnesses, adding workers from nearby stores,” he said.
07:11 , Maroosha Muzaffar
South Korea on Monday called for security measures for unorganized gatherings, news firm Yonhap reported.
07:07 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Steve Blesi of suburban Atlanta in the United States, who lost his son in the Seoul stampede, recalled a painfully excruciating call when he learned of his son’s death.
“It’s like global collapse. It is callous and devastating at the same time.
Her 20-year-old son was studying at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He had been attending an exam program in Seoul for about two months.
He was one of more than 150 Americans who died at the Halloween birthday party in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district.
06:25 , Maroosha Muzaffar
On Monday, South Koreans paid tribute to the victims by placing white chrysanthemums on an altar near the site of the Halloween disaster.
“It doesn’t matter how they died or why they died. These deficient people, all the same age as my grandchildren, died anyway,” said Jung Si-hoon, a retired church elder.
The Guardian quoted him as saying: “What else do we say? We pray for them and wish them a peaceful rest. “
Local media also said the country had also canceled all other Halloween occasions and that K-pop occasions and government briefings had also been canceled. All department stores near the stampede have been closed.
05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-so promised a thorough investigation into Halloween fever over the weekend that killed more than 150 people in the capital and plunged the country into a week of mourning.
05:20, Maroosha Muzaffar
Relatives of those killed in a stampede in South Korea are searching for answers as the death toll tops 150.
Partygoers, mostly teenagers and young adults, flooded the streets of Seoul’s Itaewon district to enjoy the country’s first Halloween celebrations since Covid restrictions were lifted.
But the evening took a tragic turn when the crowd plunged into “hellish” chaos and revelers fell on most others “like dominoes. “
Read the full story here:
Families desperately search for answers as they enjoy South Korea’s Halloween tragedy
04:50 , Maroosha Muzaffar
One survivor said many other people fell and rolled over “like dominoes” after being led through others.
Read the full story here:
Everything we know about the fatal stampede in Seoul that killed 153 people
04:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
At least 153 other people were killed and 133 injured after Halloween crowds were crushed in an alley in South Korea’s capital, Seoul.
Read the full story here:
At least 153 after Halloween crowd in South Korea
03:41 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Survivors of the Halloween stampede in Seoul describe the chaos they witnessed in the stampede.
“We were so opposed to others that we couldn’t even move to call and report the situation,” a witness, surnamed Lee, told The Associated Press.
“We were strangers, but we held hands and shouted, ‘Let’s survive!only to die. Many were bleeding from their noses and mouths. “
Most were women dressed as witches or dressed in other Halloween costumes; two were foreigners. “It was like hell,” Kim said.
00:15 , Lamiat Sabin
Grace Rached, a 23-year-old from Sydney, known as an Australian, and one of the other 154 people who died in the tragedy of the mass crash in Seoul.
The production assistant will turn 24 next week.
Earlier, his friend Nathan Taverniti said, “I was there when he said he couldn’t breathe. “
Taverniti said the deaths were caused by a stampede, but “a slow, agonizing shock. “
He added: “This weight was not caused by people. It was the lack of planning, police and emergency services.
“And no one willing to help. I saw other people filming, singing and laughing as my friends died, along with many other people. “
“I was there looking to get other people out because there weren’t enough police and nobody was doing anything to avoid the crowd.
“We were screaming, we were saying, ‘You have to come back, you have to turn around, other people are dying,’ but nobody listens. “
Two other friends were in critical condition in hospital, he told news firm Yonhap in comments reported via Australian media outlet Nine News.
23:46 , Lamiat Sabín
At least 154 other people were killed in the crowd in Seoul, according to the latest figures.
Of these, 26 foreigners from countries such as Australia, China, Iran, Norway, Russia, the United States and Uzbekistan.
A total of 132 other people were injured, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the Seoul Fire and Disaster Headquarters.
23:00 , Lamiat Sabin
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry has offered its “sincerest condolences and sympathy” to South Korea following the tragic mass clash that killed 153 people.
22:30, Lamiat Sabin
A woman who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on other people who fell unconscious in the crowd in Seoul said the horrific and tragic incident was “like hell. “
A total of 153 people, mostly young adults, were killed Saturday night when crowds left a stall in a narrow alley in the Itaewon district of South Korea’s capital. Kim Mi Sung, director of a nonprofit that promotes tourism in Itaewon, said he performed CPR on 10 subconscious people, mostly women dressed in witch costumes and other Halloween costumes.
Nine of them were instantly pronounced dead. ” I still can’t know what happened. It was like hell,” he said.
Witnesses said other people fell on most others “like dominoes” and some patients bled from their nose and mouth during CPR.
22:00 , Lamiat Sabin
Two American students, 20, were among the other 153 people killed in the crowd in Seoul.
They were known as Steven Blesi, who read in Seoul for a semester, and Anne Gieske, a junior nursing student at the University of Kentucky.
Blesi’s father received a call from the U. S. Embassy. The U. S. Department of Health and South Korea is seeking to confirm that her son died during Halloween celebrations in the city’s Itaewon neighborhood, the New York Post reports.
“It’s like I’ve stabbed a hundred million times simultaneously,” he said.
“It’s like global collapse. It is callous and devastating at the same time.
The circle of relatives of Gieske, who celebrated his birthday the day before his death, was contacted, the University of Kentucky said.
21:30, Lamiat Sabin
An Australian boy paid tribute to his fallen friend in the Halloween crowd in Seoul.
Nathan Taverniti said his friend was one of more than 150 people, mostly in their twenties and thirties, who lost their lives when a large crowd of revelers left a spot in a narrow alley on Saturday night.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs has shown that at least one Australian died in the tragic incident.
Mr Taverniti said his friend was a woman who would have turned 24 next week.
He said, “I was there when she said she couldn’t breathe and I grabbed a friend’s hand. “
Taverniti said the deaths were caused by a stampede, but “a slow, agonizing shock. “
He added: “This weight was not caused by people. It was the lack of planning, police and emergency services.
“And no one willing to help. I saw other people filming, singing and laughing as my friends died, along with many other people. “
“I was there looking to get other people out because there weren’t enough police and nobody was doing anything to avoid the crowd.
“We were screaming, we were saying, ‘You have to go, you have to go back, other people are dying,’ but nobody listens. “
Two other friends were in critical condition in hospital, he told news firm Yonhap in comments reported via Australian media outlet Nine News.
20:59 , Andy Gregorio
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered flags from government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast during the period of national mourning, which is scheduled to last until Nov. 5.
A hundred businesses in the Hamilton Hotel domain agreed to close their outlets on Monday to reduce the number of would-be revelers who might go outside in a different way on Halloween.
20:16 , Andy Gregorio
Halloween parties and other events that were scheduled for this weekend were canceled out of respect for those who died in the Itaewon crisis and to counter the possibility of more tragedies, the Korea Times reports.
Many entertainment systems on television were canceled as a sign of respect or replaced with breaking news about the crash, the newspaper reported.
19:48 , Andy Grégoire
The mayor of Seoul pledged that there will be no problems with the funeral procedures of those killed in the disaster.
“I pray for the souls of the deceased. I have no words for the dead and wounded,” Oh Se-hoon said at Incheon International Airport, according to Yonhap news agency.
“Controlling the consequences is very important. I will make sure there are no inconveniences with funeral procedures and will do everything I can to make sure those who have been injured have no difficulty healing and recovering,” he said. .
19:21 , Andy Gregorio
A father who picked up his daughter’s frame at a funeral home in Seoul after receiving a call from the government at 1 a. m. M. described the news as “like lightning from the blue sky. “
18:53 , Andy Gregorio
Hours earlier, South Korean officials said they were still identifying the victims, but now only about 90 percent of the dead have been identified.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min noted that it takes longer to identify foreigners or teenagers who are not yet registered with the government, in which case they will have to consult directly with families.
6:27 p. m. , AP
Park Ji-won, who runs a Middle Eastern food stall across the street from the Hamilton Hotel, said he saw rescuers pull other people out on stretchers through the crowd when he closed his food stall around 11 p. m. — But I had no idea what had just taken a position nearby.
“I just assumed fighting broke out — in my 10-plus year career here, I’ve only seen ambulances when other people have been assaulted or when there have been fires,” Park said.
He said he was “extremely shocked” when he returned home and saw the news, meaning when the death toll rose to a dozen. “But then the death toll kept rising until it reached 151,” he said.
Park said Itaewon still has giant Halloween crowds, including the covid-19 infections roiled last year. He said merchants like him regularly avoid the narrow alley next to the Hamilton Hotel for the holidays because “once you’re there, you can’t move or move. “outside. “
18:02 , Andy Gregorio
The father of a twenty-year-old man who died in the crisis said the city’s arrangements for demonstrations were inadequate.
“It was expected that there would be a crowd of another 100,000 people or more in the Itaewon domain this weekend,” he told Reuters while at a Seoul funeral home to retrieve his daughter’s body.
“I think there was no preparation for that, which led to this disaster. “
17:36 , Andy Gregorio
A first speaker noted the stark contrast between Itaewon’s bright and brilliant character and the brutality of mass death.
“People were dressed in Halloween costumes, so the scene was so unrealistic,” an official with an Itaewon tourism organization told The Associated Press as he headed to help.
Ken Fallas, a Costa Rican architect who has worked in Seoul for 8 years, noted that understandably, some witnesses to the tragedy were unable to process what they saw.
“I saw a lot of [young] laughter, but I don’t think they were laughing [really] because, you know, what’s funny?” says Mr. Fallas. They laughed because they were too scared. Because facing something like this is not easy. Not everyone knows how to deal with this.
5:09 p. m. , AP
Itewon’s foreign character was formed through its proximity to a nearby U. S. Army garrison, and the domain is still home to restaurants, bars, and other businesses catering to Seoul’s American community.
The Yongsan garrison, which served as the headquarters of US forces in Korea and the UN command until 2017, is less than 1. 6 km from Itaewon. U. S. The forces have since moved their South Korean headquarters to Pyeongtaek, a city forty-five miles south of Seoul, leaving a small contingent in Yongsan as they begin ceding land to the South Korean government.
Even after wasting his U. S. military customers to the fullest, he is still able to waste his customers. In the U. S. , Itaewon has remained a major draw for South Koreans and foreign visitors, who are drawn to the neighborhood’s bustling, watery nightlife, as well as its foreign style.
“The Itaewon network has been open to us for many years and is a component of why our Alliance is so strong,” U. S. said. Forces Korea, which commands the roughly 30,000 U. S. troops in the country. “During this time of mourning, it will be there for you as you have been there for us. “
16:44 , Andy Gregorio
Relatives of victims killed in a stampede in South Korea are searching for answers in the wake of the disaster.
Philomène Aby went to a network painting centre in South Korea to look for news of her 22-year-old son, who disappeared after a lightning strike. His son, Masela, went to paint a club in the Itaewon domain around 6 p. m. on Saturday. That was the last time Ms. Aby, a resident of Seoul, Côte d’Ivoire, saw him.
“I called his number but. . . it didn’t respond,” Aby said as he stood at the Hannam-dong Community Service Center, which is a makeshift center for people in need after the disaster.
“No one tells me the truth,” said Ms. Aby, who has lived in Seoul with her son for 18 years. With no news of her son, Ms. Aby left the centre for the Ivorian Embassy.
My colleague Aisha Rimi has the full report:
Families desperately search for answers as they enjoy South Korea’s Halloween tragedy
16:21 , Andy Gregorio
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he would talk about designating the entire capital as a special crisis zone, making it eligible for various programs.
“We will have to talk more, but we deserve to be able to locate tactics even for non-Seoul residents when the entire capital is designated as a special crisis area,” Oh said.
Earlier in the day, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol designated Seoul’s Yongsan district as a crisis zone.
15:52 , Andy Gregorio
Sonali Madane, a 29-year-old Indian student at Ewha Women’s University, said rumors of chaos spread to revelers on nearby streets, causing panic.
“My friends and I went at 9:45 p. m. In less than half an hour, this incident happened,” Madane told the Korea Times. .
“People were spreading rumors, ‘Is there an explosion?Is it a bomb? Because of this, everyone panicked. . . Others said a celebrity was coming [which caused a hurry].
15:28 , Andy Gregorio
Ken Fallas, a Costa Rican architect who is in Itaewon with friends, suggests that the volume of the surrounding music had something to do with the fatal crash.
“When we started moving forward, there was no turning back,” Mr. Fallas, who filmed on his phone as subconsciously other people were pulled out of the alley and others screamed for help.
“We didn’t listen to anything because the music was so loud. Now, I think that’s one of the main things that made it so complicated,” he told The Associated Press.
Another user caught in the stampede, a 17-year-old student named Kim Seo-jeong, told The New York Times that the alley was so crowded and noisy that other people didn’t seem to know what was going on a few feet away. .
“A user in front of me slipped and fell, also pushing me down. The other people fell like dominoes,” Kim told the newspaper. “There were other people under me and other people fell on me. You may only breathe lightly. We screamed and screamed for help, but the music was so loud in the alley that our screams were drowned.
15:01 , Andy Gregorio
Choi Seong-beom, the leader of the Yongsan fireplace in Seoul, visibly trembling with excitement as he told reporters the facts of last night’s tragedy.
14:34 , Andy Gregorio
Concerned relatives flocked to hospitals and cities today in search of their loved ones, and thousands more reportedly called or visited a city to report that other people were missing and identify whether they were among those injured or killed after the crash.
The bodies of the dead were being held in 42 hospitals in the capital and neighboring Gyeonggi province, according to the city of Seoul, which said it would ask crematoria to burn more bodies a day for funeral procedures.
14:12 , Andy Gregorio
Two Japanese citizens, a woman in her twenties and elderly people aged 10 to 19, died in the crash.
“I am very shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of many valuable lives, adding other young people with a bright future, as a result of this tragic accident,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry estimated the total number of foreigners killed in the race at 26, from 15 other countries.
Among the dead were others from China, Iran, Russia, the United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Australia, Sri Lanka and Norway, and several others not yet identified, a ministry official told Reuters.
13:29 , Sam Rkaina
The Prince and Princess of Wales have sent their “love and prayers” to grieving relatives after another 151 people died in a crowd at Halloween festivities in Seoul, South Korea.
The victims, mostly teenagers and twenty-somethings, were crushed when a massive crowd of Halloween parties burst into a narrow alley in Itaewon’s nightlife district on Saturday night.
A message on Kensington Palace’s Twitter account read: “Catherine and I send all our love and prayers to parents, families and enjoy those who were tragically lost in Seoul last night. BATHROOM. “
William’s message came here after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the deaths “horrible news” and added on Saturday: “All our minds are with those who are responding right now and all South Koreans at this very difficult time. “
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he was “saddened by the tragic situation”, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was “horrible news”.
13:00, Stuti Mishra
More than 100,000 people flocked to Seoul for its first main Halloween party in three years since the pandemic began, a Saturday night that became a crisis and one of the deadliest stampede incidents the country has ever seen.
The incident occurred at the Halloween festivities of the capital’s Itaewon district when a massive crowd filled a narrow alley downhill.
The death toll now stands at 153, adding 22 foreign nationals. At least 82 other people were injured.
Here’s everything we know about Seoul’s fatal stampede:
Everything we know about the fatal stampede in Seoul that killed 153 people
12:00, Stuti Mishra
A Norwegian citizen has been proven to have died in the Seoul crash, said a spokesman for the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, who declined to provide the main points about his age or identity and mentioned confidentiality.
“I am devastated by the news of the terrible incident similar to the Halloween celebrations in Seoul,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement.
“My deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones. My mind is with those affected by this tragedy. “
11:30 Stuti Mishra
An Australian citizen was also among those killed in the fatal Halloween night stampede in Seoul’s popular nightclub district, a Canberra resident said.
A statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said they were offering consular assistance to the victim’s circle of relatives in Australia, CNN reports.
The Australian embassy in Seoul is “assisting a number of Australians who attended the event,” according to the DFAT spokesperson.
“The Australian government extends its condolences to the circle of family and others affected by this tragic incident. We ask that the family members’ circle of privacy be respectable during this difficult time. Due to our confidentiality obligations, we are unable to provide additional feedback. ” the saying.
It has been shown that a total of 22 foreign nationals died in the stampede, totaling 4 Chinese citizens.
Authorities previously said they were still identifying more foreigners, with only about 90 percent of identification now complete.
11:00, Stuti Mishra
Footage taken of a crowd in Seoul panics among Halloween revelers before lightning strikes killed more than 150 people.
Screams and screams can be heard as revelers tried to make their way through the narrow alley of the Itaewon area, while music from nearby nightclubs continued to burn in the background.
Aisha Rimi has the latest:
Footage from Seoul crowd shows partygoers’ panic before lightning strikes 153 people