Update: The post has been updated to reflect the latest increase in the number of those killed in the incident, as reported by ABC News.
Halloween celebrations turned deadly Saturday night as at least 153 people were crushed to death in a stampede incident in Seoul, South Korea, officials say.
Another 82 people were injured after large crowds flooded into a narrow street near Hamilton Hotel, a known party spot in Seoul’s Itaewon leisure district, the Associated Press reported. Those killed or wounded in the stampede were mostly young adults and teens, the outlet reported, citing Yongsan Fire Chief Choi Seong-beom. A massive amount of emergency workers and police were deployed to treat the injured on Seoul’s streets, according to ABC News.
Of those dead, many were taken to hospital, while dozens of bodies were still on the streets, the fire chief said, according to the AP. Remaining bodies were being taken to a nearby gym for identification. An unknown number of the injured are in critical condition.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – OCTOBER 30: Emergency services treat injured people after a stampede on October 30, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. At least 50 people were reported to be receiving CPR after suffering from cardiac arrest in Seoul’s Itaewon area as huge crowds of people stampeded at Halloween parties, according to authorities. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Footage from videos and photos of the scene showed lines of emergency vehicles alongside a heavy police presence and emergency personnel, according to CBS News. Paramedics could be seen performing CPR on victims and checking the status of at least a dozen people lying motionless beneath blue blankets. (RELATED: Two Secret Service Agents Sent Home From Biden’s South Korea Trip After Alleged Drunken Altercation)
Local news reports suggested the stampede took place after crowds rushed into an Itaewon bar after hearing of a celebrity’s visit there, Euronews reported. Details of the incident remain under investigation, according to CBS News.