More than 150 people were killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in central Seoul, officials said yesterday, with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol vowing a full investigation into one of the country’s worst disasters.
The crowd surge and crush happened at about 10pm in the capital’s popular Itaewon district, where estimates suggest that as many as 100,000 people went to celebrate Halloween on Saturday night, clogging the area’s narrow alleyways and winding streets.
Yoon yesterday declared a period of national mourning, saying in a televised address that “a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened.”
Photo: AFP
He said the government “will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and make fundamental improvements to ensure the same accident does not occur again in the future.”
“My heart is heavy and it is difficult to contain my sorrow,” he added, before visiting the scene of the disaster.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said his office would set up a memorial altar at Seoul Plaza so that people could pay their respects to the victims, starting this morning.
Photo: AFP
“Most of the casualties are young people like our sons and daughters, which makes it even more sad,” Oh said at the site of the disaster.
Eyewitnesses described being trapped in a narrow, sloping alleyway and scrambling to get out of the suffocating crowd as people piled on top of one another.
The South Korean Ministry of the Interior and Safety said that 153 people had died, including 20 foreigners, while 133 were injured.
Photo: Reuters
Seoul authorities said they had also received 2,642 reports of missing people.
Officials said they had no clear idea of what caused the crush, while eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos after a vast crowd panicked in a narrow alleyway.
Local shopkeepers said the number of people at the annual celebration was “unprecedentedly large” this year — the first event to be held without restrictions since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Photo: Reuters
As questions began to emerge over the lack of security at the event, South Korean Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min told a news briefing that police had been occupied on the other side of town where a large crowd was expected for a protest.
Police had also not expected such a large crowd at the Halloween event, he added.
Taipei yesterday sent its sympathies to South Korea.
“Our deepest condolences on the loss of life & injuries in the Itaewon incident,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) wrote on Twitter. “Thoughts & prayers to the families of the victims, & heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded. Taiwan grieves with Korea at this difficult time.”
The ministry said it has also expressed condolences to South Korean Representative to Taiwan Chung Byung-won, who expressed his gratitude.
MOFA deputy spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said that no Taiwanese have so far been found to be among the casualties.
In case of emergency, Taiwanese in South Korea are advised to call the +82-10-9080-2761 emergency hotline for its representative office in Seoul, MOFA said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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