Halloween celebrations in South Korea’s capital city of Seoul turned deadly late on Saturday as a stampede killed at least 154 and left scores of others injured.
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the city’s fire and disaster headquarters reported that as of Sunday evening, at least 154 people were killed and 149 injured as crowds surged into a narrow, sloping alley in the megacity’s Itaewon neighbourhood. 26 of those killed were foreign nationals from 14 countries, including Iran, China, Russia, the United States, Japan, France, Australia, Norway, Austria, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka. Officials at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters predict that the death toll could rise further, as 33 others remain in serious condition.
According to the police, around 100,000 people gathered in the Itaewon district, which is known for its nightlife and is located in central Seoul, to celebrate the first Halloween since pandemic restrictions were lifted. Last year, private gatherings were restricted to less than 10 people and bars and restaurants were ordered to shut down by 10 pm.
So many young lives lost so suddenly, so tragically. Lessons should be learned of course to hopefully stop something like this happening ever again, by govt and society, but we should also commemorate and remember those young women and men lost in their beautiful prime of life.
— Sokeel Park 박석길 (@Sokeel) October 30, 2022
At around 10:40 pm. the crowd surged into the narrow 3.2-metre-wide, 40-metre-long alley, leaving people stuck there for about an hour and a half. As hundreds became trapped in the tight space of the alley, many of those who failed to get out died of suffocation.
According to a report by The Korea Times, some of the party-goers tripped and fell, creating a domino effect and piling up on one another. Witnesses reported that the collapse seemed to have happened “abruptly at once.”
The incline of the road caused those standing downhill to be pressed down on more heavily, with as many as five to six people deep. The pressure caused them to face difficulty breathing and lose consciousness.
The memorial outside of Itaewon station is collecting more and more flowers, handwritten notes, candles and bottles of soju. There were a few young people and adults shedding tears. pic.twitter.com/IO5zosb7ac
— Kelly Kasulis Cho (@KasulisK) October 31, 2022
56 of the victims were male while 98 were female, most of whom were women in their 20s, due to their “relatively smaller frame and fewer muscles to resist crushing pressure.”
First responders and emergency workers from the Yongsan Fire Station and other nearby fire stations arrived at the scene much later than usual due to enormous vehicular and foot traffic in the area. About 1,700 workers and over 140 ambulances were present at the scene, in addition to family members of the victims. Phone and internet reception were temporarily out of service in the area due to the large crowd.
The government is currently probing the incident with the help of CCTV footage to determine the exact cause of the crowd crush.
New Itaewon victim figures, which have slight tweaks from this morning: 154 dead, 149 injured (33 with serious injuries)
— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) October 31, 2022
Of those who died:
-99 women; 55 men
-12 in their teens; 101 in their 20s; 31 in their 30s; 8 in their 40s; 1 in 50s
-26 foreigners from 14 countries.
In wake of the country’s deadliest tragedy in years, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a weeklong national mourning period starting Sunday and ordered the lowering of flags. The president also made an unscheduled address on Sunday morning, instructing all related ministries to make “every effort to promptly provide aid to the victims.”
“As president, who is responsible for the people’s lives and safety, my heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief,” he said. He assured that authorities will “thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and make fundamental improvements to ensure the same accident does not occur again in the future.”
Yoon also visited a mourning altar for the victims with first lady Kim Keon-hee. The pair laid flowers and bowed their heads in silent prayer at the altar set up at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall.