At least 151 people, including 19 foreigners, die in a crowd during Halloween celebrations in Seoul. President Suk-yeol describes the incident as “a tragedy and a catastrophe that should not have happened”.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered national mourning on Sunday after 151 people died in a crowd during Halloween celebrations in Seoul. Yoon offered his condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery. “A tragedy and catastrophe that should not have happened happened in the heart of Seoul last night,” the president said in a statement.
Yoon promised to make sure that such an accident never happens again. During the night from Saturday to Sunday, according to rescue workers, a large crowd of revelers, who were mainly young people and people in their 20s, crowded together in a narrow alley in Seoul’s nightlife district of Itaewon.
As eyewitnesses reported, part of the crowd then fell, but people kept pushing into the alley and burying those who had fallen. According to the fire department, the death toll could even rise. According to fire chief Choi Sung-beom, the incident happened near a nightclub. A total of 82 people were injured, 19 of them seriously. Among the fatalities are 19 foreigners who came from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway, among others.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is currently on a European tour but decided to return home after the news, according to Sky News.
Videos distributed on social media showed how rescue workers and private individuals provided first aid at the scene of the accident. In addition to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden also sent his condolences and wrote on Twitter: “We mourn with the people of the Republic of Korea and wish all those injured a speedy recovery.”
Other heads of state and government also expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and the people of the country. The incident is already considered one of the most tragic accidents in the country.