This was reported by the South Korean news agency Yonhap on Sunday night (local time), citing official information. The condition of some of the injured is serious. The number of deaths could therefore continue to rise. The tragedy happened in Itaewon, a nightlife district in the South Korean capital.
A spokesman for the fire brigade put the latest number of deaths at 146. Many victims were trampled to death, he said. The exact causes of the tragedy were initially unclear. According to reports, crowds had poured into a narrow side street. Online videos circulating on social media showed dozens of people covered in blue plastic sheets at the side of the road. It could be seen how rescue workers and private individuals provided first aid at the scene of the accident. Overall, according to Yonhap, the emergency services tried to revive more than 50 people.
According to eyewitness reports, the streets around the scene of the accident were so crowded that the relief workers had difficulty making their way through the crowds. According to Yonhap, a total of 142 rescue vehicles were deployed.
“People were layered on top of each other like in a tomb,” an eyewitness described the scenes. “Some gradually lost consciousness, while others already looked dead at that point.”
The accident happened late in the evening around 10:20 p.m. local time (3:20 p.m. CEST). Several people suffered cardiac arrest. Several foreigners were also taken to hospitals. It is the first Halloween celebrations in South Korea since the outbreak of the corona pandemic in 2020.
According to his office, President Yon Suk-yeol called an emergency meeting and ordered additional emergency personnel to be sent to the scene of the accident. In addition, hospital beds are to be prepared. According to Yonhap, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is currently visiting Europe, has canceled all scheduled meetings and announced his immediate return.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) said on Twitter (originally in English): “I have just returned from South Korea and am deeply shocked by the tragic mass panic in #Seoul tonight. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and everyone who injured in the stampede.”
Schallenberg had visited South Korea as part of a trip that lasted from Friday to Wednesday in the past few days. The occasion was the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Austria and Korea, which had been upgraded to a “strategic partnership” last year.
The Halloween festival coming from the USA is actually celebrated on the night of October 31st to November 1st. It goes back to a Celtic custom, according to which evil spirits should be driven away at the beginning of the dark season.
Source: Nachrichten
