At least 151 people were killed and 150 others were injured in a stampede during Halloween festivities in Seoul, officials said of one of the biggest disasters in South Korea.
A mass of mostly young people celebrating Halloween in Seoul became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley, killing at least 151 people and injuring 82 others in South Korea's worst disaster in years.
Police stand guard on Oct. 30, 2022, near the alley where a stampede took place during Halloween celebrations in the neighborhood of Itaewon in Seoul, South Korea, the night before. At least 149 people were killed. At least one U.S. citizen was injured in the stampede, the State Department told CBS News in a statement Saturday night.
National Fire Agency officials didn't immediately explain why the tally was reduced but said emergency workers would have had a more accurate idea of the casualties as rescue operations proceeded and that some of the injured would have been converted to deaths. It was also possible that some of those who were lightly injured had returned home overnight and were no longer counted.
It was not immediately clear what led the crowd to surge into the narrow downhill alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a major party spot in Seoul. One survivor said many people fell and toppled one another"like dominos" after they were being pushed by others. The survivor, surnamed Kim, said they were trapped for about an hour and a half before being rescued, as some people shouted"Help me!" and others were short of breath, according to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper.
Partygoers walk by ambulances at the scene where dozens of people were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 29, 2022.TV footage and photos showed ambulance vehicles lined up in streets amid a heavy police presence and emergency workers moving the injured in stretchers. Emergency workers and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying in the streets.
Rescue team and firefighters work on the scene where dozens of people were injured in a stampede during Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a statement calling for officials to ensure swift treatment for those injured and review the safety of the festivity sites. He also instructed the Health Ministry to swiftly deploy disaster medical assistance teams and secure beds in nearby hospital to treat the injured.