South Korea declares nationwide mourning after Halloween crush kills 151

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a interval of nationwide mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 individuals in a packed nightlife space in Seoul.

Yoon expressed condolences to the victims, principally youngsters and other people of their 20s, and his needs for a speedy restoration to the injured.

“That is really tragic,” he stated in a press release. “A tragedy and catastrophe that ought to not have occurred happened within the coronary heart of Seoul final evening.”

An enormous crowd celebrating within the standard Itaewon district surged into an alley on Saturday evening, emergency officers stated, including the loss of life toll may rise.

Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Hearth Station, stated 151 deaths had been confirmed, together with 19 foreigners. He informed a briefing on the scene 82 individuals have been injured, 19 of them severely.

It was the primary Halloween occasion in Seoul in three years after the nation lifted Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing. Lots of the partygoers have been carrying masks and Halloween costumes.

Some witnesses described the gang turning into more and more unruly and agitated because the night deepened. The incident happened at about 10:20 p.m. (1320 GMT).

“Plenty of individuals fell throughout a Halloween competition, and we’ve got numerous casualties,” Choi stated. Lots of these killed have been close to a nightclub.

Lots of the victims have been girls of their 20s, whereas the foreigners killed included individuals from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway, Choi stated.

Witnesses described chaos moments earlier than the stampede, with the police readily available in anticipation of the Halloween occasion at occasions having bother sustaining management of the crowds.

Moon Ju-young, 21, stated there have been clear indicators of bother within the alleys earlier than the incident. “It was no less than greater than 10 occasions crowded than ordinary,” he informed Reuters.

Social media footage confirmed lots of of individuals packed within the slim, sloped alley crushed and motionless as emergency officers and police tried to tug them to free.

Choi, the Yongsan district fireplace chief, stated all of the deaths have been seemingly from the crush within the single slim alley.

Hearth officers and witnesses stated individuals continued to pour into the alley that was already packed wall-to-wall, when these on the high of the sloped road fell, sending individuals under them toppling over others.

One girl stated her daughter, pulled from the crush of individuals, survived after being trapped for greater than an hour.