At least 59 dead, 150 injured in South Korea after crowd surge during Halloween festivities

Halloween festivities in South Korea’s capital city took a tragic turn after an apparent crowd surge killed at least 59 people and injured more than 150 others.

Seoul’s Yongsan fire department warned the death toll would likely grow as first responders worked to transport victims to hospitals across the city. So far, 13 bodies have been moved, while another 46 remained in the streets following the stampede in the leisure district of Itaewon Saturday night.

All of the victims were seemingly crushed to death after a large crowd started pushing forward in a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel.

Yonhap News Agency reported that many people suffered from “cardiac arrest,” citing fire authorities. Emergency officials have also assisted at least 81 people who have reported “difficulty breathing.”

While authorities said the cause of the crowd crush remained under investigation, local outlets reported a large number of people raced toward a bar upon hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there.

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As many as 100,000 revelers traveled to the popular party spot to celebrate Halloween weekend. It marked the largest gathering since the start of the pandemic following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in recent months.

Photos and video taken on the scene show panicked people assisting police and other first responders administer first aid and CPR.

One clip posted to social media sees a long line of emergency vehicles and ambulances parked near the scene, waiting to receive the injured on stretchers. Another showed people struggling to escape from beneath the bodies of others.

More than 400 first responders and 140 vehicles from around the nation, including all available personnel in Seoul, were deployed.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a statement calling for officials to ensure speedy treatment for those injured and a review of the safety of the festivity sites. He also ordered the Health Ministry to deploy disaster medical assistance teams and secure beds in nearby hospital to treat the injured.

Authorities restricted traffic as a result of the tragedy to help speed up hospital transport. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also issued a series of emergency text messages urging people in the area to return home.

With News Wire Services